


Strictly Forbidden

by malvie_crack



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Descendants - Freeform, F/F, Gay, Lesbian, M/M, MEVIE, eval - Freeform, girlxgirl, gxg, malvie, wlm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:40:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 22,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22427971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malvie_crack/pseuds/malvie_crack
Summary: Evie Grimhilde has lived her life in a world where the only acceptable sexuality is straight, tattoos are awful, and rebellion should be punished with boarding school. Well, that is until she meets Mal Moors.{Slow updates}Important:-I only own the plot-Homophobia-Minor Language-Minor Violence
Relationships: Evie & Mal (Disney), Evie/Mal (Disney)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 27





	1. 1

**Evie**

"Come on, honey, it's time for your first day at your new school," my mom says trying to get me out of bed.

"Five more minutes, mom," I mumble.

"Nope, you have to get ready. First impressions are very important."

"Fine," I say before crawling out of bed. I hop in the shower and brush my teeth while showering to save water. I grab a white crop top with some skinny jeans and get dressed. I run down the stairs after putting on makeup. I see my little sister, Dizzy, eating a bowl of cereal at the dining room table. I smile at the sight before grabbing a bowl and pouring some cereal. I pour the milk, then sit across from Dizzy. "You know that mom isn't going to let you leave the house looking like that, right?" Dizzy asks.

"What do you mean?" I reply.

"Well, it shows your stomach, mom is very strict about that."

"I'm sixteen, I can wear what I want."

"No you can't, go change," I hear my mom say.

"Mom, please?" I plead.

"No, once your done eating you will change and that's the end of this conversation," she says sternly before leaving for work. I sigh and continue to eat my cereal.

"You look amazing in that outfit, Evie," Dizzy says. I look at her with a sad smile before clearing my spot. I walk up the stairs and change into a blue hoodie and black leggings, I've always liked the color blue. I grab my phone and my backpack before going back downstairs. I put on some shoes.

"Ready?" I ask Dizzy, putting on my shoes.

"Yep," she replies.

"Alright, let's go," I say before grabbing my keys and going out to the garage. I put my backpack in the backseat before hopping in my car and starting it. I hear Dizzy get in and buckle up, so I back out of the garage.

~

We arrive at Auradon High and go to the office to get our schedules. When we enter the office the lady at the front desk gives us a warm smile, "Good morning, my name is Claire, what can I help you with?"

"My name is Evie Grimhilde, I'm the new junior and this is my sister, Dizzy Grimhilde, she's a freshman," I reply with a smile. I'm glad she's being nice to us, not many receptionists at schools are.

"Ah, yes, let me grab your schedules," she says, getting up to grab them of a counter. "Here they are, if you need help finding your classes, you can ask some students around the halls. I'm sure there are many students that would love to help you two."

"Thank you," Dizzy says. I walk out of the office and Dizzy follows. I help her find her locker before going to find mine. I look around for a few minutes, but can't find it. I sigh and study the lockers more. I feel a tap on my shoulder, "Looks like you need some help." I turn around to see a boy with white hair and black roots, he's pretty cute.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I can't find my locker," I say.

"Oh, I can help with that! Can I see your schedule?" He asks.

"Sure," I reply, handing him my schedule. He examines it.

"Follow me," he says, walking away. I do as he instructed. After a minute, we find it.

"Thank you so much, um," I start.

"Carlos, my name is Carlos," he says with a smile.

"Thank you Carlos, I'm Evie," I say, holding my hand out for him to shake. He takes my hand and shakes it.

"Anytime! If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask. I have to get going, my boyfriend wants to have breakfast with me. See you around," he says before walking away. Boyfriend? He has a boyfriend? My mom always told me that woman and men can only love each other. I push those thoughts away and look at my schedule to see what my first class is. I have History with Mrs. White in room 128 at 8:30. I check my phone to see what time it is. It's 8:24. Great. I can't even find my locker, let alone a classroom. I sigh before wandering the halls, trying to find my class. I end up giving up trying to find it by myself. I see a girl with brown hair wearing a pink dress and heels leaning on a locker, doing something on her phone. I walk up to her and clear my throat. She looks up at me with a questioning look.

"Can you help me find my first period?" I ask. She nods and I hand her my schedule.

"What are the chances, we have the same schedule," she says.

"Is that good?" I ask. I have no idea what she thinks of me, we did just meet after all.

"Totes, new friends are always nice, she says, "Anyways, come with me." We start to walk next to each other. I don't like the awkward silence that we have, so I start a conversation.

"I'm Evie by they way, I'm new here," I say.

"I'm Audrey, it's nice to meet you," the girl replies. We make small talk until we reach a classroom, "Here we are, Mrs. White is an absolute sweetheart, as long as you respect her. I don't think that will be a problem for you, though."

"No, I'm a very kind person, especially to adults," I reply. She nods with a smile before walking into the classroom and taking her seat in the front of the classroom. I walk into the class and notice a girl sitting in the way back. She has purple hair and is wearing a purple flannel, black ripped skinny jeans, and worn boots. I ignore her and walk toward the front of the classroom where the teacher is sitting, "Hi, I'm Evie, your new student."

"Why, hello hun, welcome to my class. I teach history and creative writing. You can take the seat next to girl with purple hair, that's our only seat left. I can have you switch seats with someone in the front if you have trouble seeing the board," Mrs. White says sweetly.

"Thank you," I say before walking to my seat. I get settled in the desk and organize my things, so I know where everything is. I look over to the girl with purple hair and I notice her nose ring. I'm not sure what they're called, but they remind me of a bull. I don't know how her parents let her get it, if I got one my mom would flip. Her eyes shift so she's looking at me. She notices my stare and raises an eyebrow. I quickly look away, I don't want to cause anything, especially on my first day. The bell rings and Mrs. White starts talking, but my mind is still focused on the mysterious girl sitting next to me.


	2. 2

**Evie**

"Evie, would you like to introduce yourself?" Mrs. White asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Sure," I say, standing up, "I'm Evie Grimhilde."

"Everyone, say hello to your new classmate by saying your name and an interesting fact about yourself," Mrs. White instructs as I sit down. "Audrey, you start."

"I'm Audrey and I am the captain of the cheer squad," Audrey says. She was obviously proud of her role.

"I'm Jay and I'm on the fencing team."

"I'm Lonnie, I'm the captain of the fencing team, thanks to Jay," she says, patting Jay's shoulder. I practically zone out until the class reaches me.

"I'm Evie and I love sewing," I say. I look towards the mysterious girl, waiting for her to say her name. I don't know why, but the girl intrigued me.

"I'm Mal," she says, her face not changing.

"And an interesting fact about you is?" Mrs. White questions.

"I've lived here for my entire life."

"Thank you, Mal. Now that introductions are over, we'll begin class."

~

The bell rings, so everyone starts packing, I, on the other hand, just sat there, staring at Mal. I was debating talking to her, I want to know more about her. She notices my stare, "Do you need something?"

"Um.. no, sorry," I quickly get out. She raises one eyebrow.

"You sure?" She pushes.

"Um, well, maybe one or two things."

"Spit it out, then. I don't bite," she says with a smirk.

"What lunch do you have?"

"Second."

"Can I sit with you?"

"I sit outside," she says, walking out of the classroom. Is that a yes? I don't know, I guess I'll try to sit with her. I feel someone tap my shoulder.

"Yeah?" I ask, Turing around. I see Audrey with Jay and Lonnie.

"Listen, I'm not going to sugar coat this, but Mal is bad news. All the 'friends' she's had, were hurt by her. Before you ask, no, not physically," Lonnie states.

"You could've been a little less harsh," Jay says with a laugh.

"Wait, I'm confused," I say.

"Basically, none of Mal's friendships have lasted. No one talks about what she did to cause it, but we know they ended. Ask Uma, from what I've heard, she got the worst out of everyone," Audrey cuts in.

"Um, okay," I reply. I'm so confused.

"It'll help you understand the situation, I think. It did for me, at least," Audrey says reassuringly.

"I will, but who's Uma?" I ask.

"She's in our next class, let's go," Audrey says, pulling me with. We walk to our next class, which I didn't get the chance to check what it is. I take a quick glance at the door as we enter, it's Chemistry. I'm pretty good with Chemistry. Audrey pulls me until we reach a girl with turquoise braids. "Uma, can you tell my friend, Evie, about your relationship with Mal?" Audrey asks. It made me happy to hear that Audrey was my friend.

"Sure, Mal and I were friends and we're not anymore. She did some bad things and they effected me negatively. I don't want to go into anymore details," Uma states. I nod taking in all the information.

"Can I ask questions? If there's a question you don't want to answer, you don't have to," I ask.

"I guess."

"How many people has she done this to?"

"Three."

"Who?"

"Jay, me, and Harry."

"Was she a good friend at the start?"

"You have to get her to trust you, I don't think anyone has gotten that far. Jay and Harry haven't, if that's what you meant."

"Does she have any friends now?"

"Not that we know of. If she does, they're probably not from this school."

"Do you know why she didn't?"

"I have theories, but I don't know for sure."

"Okay, thank you," I say before walking up to the teacher, "Good morning, I'm your new student, Evie."

"Good morning, Evie, I'm Mr. Johnson. You can be lab partners with Uma and Audrey, I noticed you talking this morning and I'd like you to feel comfortable," he replies.

"Thank you," I say before walking back towards Audrey and Uma. I sit down in one of the lab stools. Uma glances at me and I don't know why. This continues as class goes on. I write Is something wrong on a piece of paper and pass it to her. She opens it, scribbles something down and passes it back to me. It says We'll talk after class. I nod and put the piece of paper in my folder.

~

The bell rings and students leave, but not Uma, Audrey, and I. Uma sighs, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you're going to try and befriend Mal."

"I'm sorry, I just want to know more about the situation," I reply.

"I doubt she'll tell you anything, she'll probably think we sent you or something."

"I think I'm going to try it."

"I'd rather you not."

"I don't need your permission to make friends."

"I'm trying to protect you, Evie."

"Well, maybe I don't need your protection. Let's go Audrey," I say before walking out of the classroom. I hear Audrey walking behind me, I know it's her because of her heels. She speeds up so she's next to me.

"That was bold of you," she says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You standing up for someone you don't know."

"I want standing up for her, I was saying that I want more info. I'm not dismissing anything she did, not that I know what she did. To me, this whole situation seems fishy. I mean, come on, no one will give us any specific details."

"The evidence is all there, Evie. They were friends at one point, then they're not. What else do you need?"

"A specific reason. What did Mal do? Why did she do it? Did she actually do it?"

"I can't stop you, but I will advise you not to stick your nose in too deep. Mal is mysterious, not many people know about her. She has walls that are really hard to break down and no one knows why she has those walls."

"I'll be careful, I promise."

"Okay, I'm trusting you," she says. I nod and we continue our journey to third period.

~

Third and fourth period fly by, probably because I'm practically itching to see Mal again. Audrey takes me to the lunch room and shows me where her and her friends sit. I nod and head to the lunch line to get food.

I ended up getting a salad and an apple with some apple juice. I walk out to the area that's available to sit outside. I look at all of the five tables and Mal wasn't sitting at any. Maybe she lied to me? I walked towards the table farthest away from the school and see Mal sitting under a tree, doing something with a notebook, in the distance. I smile at the thought of her telling the truth. I start walking towards the tree with the same smile on my face.


	3. 3

**Evie**

I was about to step onto the grass when I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, do you want to eat lunch with me?" I recognized the voice as Carlos. I turn around and give him a warm smile.

"No thanks, I want to eat out here," I say, politely declining.

"Alright, just stay away from the purple headed girl under the tree," he says before walking back inside. My smile turn into a frown. Has he ever even talked to her? I sigh and continue my walk to the tree. I clear my throat once I get to the tree and see Mal ready to say something, but she looks at me and shuts her mouth.

"Something wrong?" I ask.

"It's nothing," she replies with a sigh.

"Are you sure?" I push.

"Yep," she pauses, "Do you need something?"

"Um, well, I was wondering if I could sit with you," I say, taken aback with her tone.

"I guess."

"Cool," I reply, sitting in front of her. After a little bit of uncomfortable silence I try to start conversation, "What kind of piercing is you nose ring? I've seen it before, I just don't know the name of it."

"Looking to get one? I know some of the best piercing shops in town, they can get a little pricey depending on what you get," she replies with passion. She must really like piercings.

"My mom would literally kill me, I was just curious."

"It's called a septum ring. I don't understand why you need to know this if your not getting one, use google if your curious."

"I find it interesting that your mom let you get it."

"Who said she did?" She challenges. My mouth opens in shock. Maybe she is bad news. She chuckles, "Relax, my mother doesn't mind, she signed the permission slip. You should've seen your face."

"That wasn't funny," I reply with a pout.

"Your reaction was."

"No it wasn't."

"You're right, it was cute," she sates grabbing a fry from her lunch tray. I forgot all about lunch. I quickly grab my salad and start eating it.

"You don't put ranch or anything on it? You just eat the lettuce?" She asks. I nod. She looks at my salad, then back to me, "Lettuce by itself is so bad, though."

"It's not really about the taste, it's about eating healthy," I state.

"Whatever you say," she says before taking a bite out of an apple. I look towards my tray, my apple is gone. I look back at Mal, she has a smirk spread on her face.

"You stole my apple," I say with a frown.

"You want it back?" She says, holding the apple in front of me.

"Ew, no."

"Okay," she says before pulling another apple out of her pocket. I stare at the apple in awe and she chuckles, "I didn't eat your apple, I stole it, but I didn't eat it." She sets the apple on my tray and takes another bite out of her apple.

After a few minutes of us eating in silence, I hear footsteps, "What is this? Got another victim, Mal?" I hear a male voice ask.

"Go away Harry, I don't want to talk to you," Mal says, clearly irritated. So this is Harry? He has black hair and wears a lot of eyeliner. He's pretty tall, too. He's wearing a red hoodie and sweatpants with some tennis shoes.

"Uma told me about this new student and I had to see this for myself. She mentioned how you wanted to know more about what Mal did, so why don't you ask her?" He asks. I look towards Mal, she looks annoyed and a little scared? I don't know if it's fear, but it isn't good. Mal gets up and clenches her fist, but before she could say anything we hear someone run towards us. I look towards the person running and see whit hair. _Carlos_.

"Harry, stop, this isn't worth it," Carlos says once he reaches us.

"Stay out of this, Carlos, you don't know the whole story," Mal states through gritted teeth.

"I know enough, Mal, you hurt my boyfriend," Carlos replies.

"Maybe he hurt me first! You don't know my side of the story. You don't even know what I did, so stay out of this."

"You can't boss me around anymore, I'm not a scared kid anymore!"

"Whatever," Mal says before trying to walk away.

"You're not getting away this time!" I hear a voice yell. I recognize the voice as Uma. I look towards Uma and see her face full on anger. I don't know what's coming next, but I can make a guess. Uma raises her fist, as if she were going to punch someone, and swings it towards Mal. She hits Mal in the stomach and Mal drops to her knee and holds her stomach. She groans in pain before standing up again.

"I don't want to fight, Uma, I want to be left alone," Mal states. Uma laughs dryly before punching Mal in the face. I gasp and stand in front of Mal, who dropped to the ground.

"Uma, stop!" I exclaim. She seems to notice how I'm being protective of her and runs back inside. Carlos and Harry follow. I turn around to see Mal kneeling on the ground, holding her nose.. I sit on my knees and move her hand to see the damage, it's bleeding, but I don't think it's broken. I start panicking on the inside, but remain calm on the outside. I don't want to scare her.

"Come with me," I hear a girl's voice say. I was so distracted about what happened I hadn't heard her walk up to us. I nod and stand up, Mal doesn't move.

"Mal, come on," I say, my voice almost breaking.

"I'm fine," she states.

"The blood coming out of your nose says otherwise," I argue. She sighs and stands up. The girl starts walking back inside, Mal and I follow. I notice everyone's stare for the first time. Great. It's my first day and I'm already known to cause problems.

"What are you all looking at?" Mal yells. Everyone quickly looks away after that. I sigh and look at Mal, who looks broken.

~

The girl ended up leading us to the nurse's office. She instructed Mal to lay down on the cot. Mal did what she was told, hesitantly. She keeps saying she's fine, but the girl and I both know she's wrong.

"I'm Jane, by the way, my mom, Melanie, is the nurse here. I texted her and she said she's on her way," the girl says, breaking the silence.

"I'm Evie, I'm new here," I reply.

"I know, I'm in your first period."

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I zoned out during the introduction thing."

"It's okay, I zone out during most of those, too," she says with a giggle. I hear the door click and turn around to see who came in. It was a woman in a blue dress, most likely the nurse.

"I am Melanie Paxson, but you can call me Melanie. I'm the nurse here," the woman states. She walks towards Mal and looks down at her face. She chuckles, "I believe your friend has fallen asleep." Jane and I look down at Mal. Melanie was right, she's out. Her head is on the pillow, her nose still bleeding. I go to wake her up, she's ruining the pillow, but the nurse waves me away, "You must go clean up from lunch and go back to class. Before that, who did this to her?"

"Uma Fisher," Jane states. Melanie nods.

"That's all you can do, children, go back to class."


	4. 4

**Evie**

Classes went on as normal. Well, that was until my last period. I sat down where the teacher told me to after my introduction and I saw Uma walk in, looking very upset. I saw Mal walk in, not too long after, with a blank expression on her face. Her nose was definitely bruised, but it would heal. I'm glad it's not broken. Uma continues her walk towards the teacher and my eyes remained locked on Mal, who was still staring at the floor. She eventually looked up and saw Uma. Her eyes narrowed, her jaw clenched, and her hands ball into fists after seeing Uma. Mal's rage is evident on her face and it almost makes me feel bad for Uma. _Almost_. 

Mal proceeded to walk up to Uma, I could tell she was blinded by rage. She was smart, she knew how much trouble she could get in, but she's too mad to realize. I want to step in, but should I? My mom would disown me if I got into and/or was involved in one. I'm almost positive that the school is legally obligated to tell parents of a fight. I wasn't sure why Mal was still here, maybe she didn't have to? I'd think they'd send her to the hospital or something. Maybe it wasn't that bad.

"Uma, I expected more of you. You are a smart girl, you can't let your feuds get in the way. Here's all your work, go home and think about your actions," our English teacher, Mr. Brown states. Uma nods and starts to walk out of the class, but stops at the sight of Mal.

"Mal," Uma trails off. Mal looks even more upset with that one word. "Mal, please, I'm sorry. I was out of line, I shouldn't have hit you. Don't do anything rash," Uma continues. Mr. Brown is paying attention to the interaction, but not doing anything about it. He probably wants this to solve itself.

"Oh, okay, I guess that solves everything, carry on," Mal says.

"Really?" Uma asks.

"No!" Mal exclaims. Mr. Brown is about to step in, I can feel it.

"Mal, I'm trying to be civil," Uma sighs.

"Civil? _Civil_? You have been nothing but chaotic. I don't want your apology, especially when you're just trying to protect yourself," Mal retorts, walking closer to Uma.

"That is enough Miss Moors! Do I need to send you to the office?" Mr. Brown cuts in. I look towards Uma, she's practically shaking. I didn't realize that Mal could scare her like that, I thought she was confident. I guess she was cocky. Mal doesn't stop until she's a foot apart from Uma. I get out of my seat, ready to intervene. Uma still looks terrified and Mal knows. I walk over to Mal and grab her hand. She looks towards her hand, then me. I mouth 'calm down' and squeeze her hand. I know everyone's attention is on me and I couldn't care less, I'm trying to help. She takes a deep breathe before sitting in her desk, which happens to be right next to mine. Mr. Brown smiles at me and Uma continues to leave. The bell rings and Mr. Brown starts class.

~

"We will be starting projects today," Mr. Brown starts.

"Will we be getting partners and if we are can we choose?" A random girl asks.

"You will be getting partners, but won't be able to choose them," Mr. Brown states. Everyone groans, except Mal and I. The teacher started naming of partners and I zoned out until I heard Mal's name, "Mal, you were originally going to be with Uma, but things changed. Evie is now your partner." He continued naming of names and I kept staring at Mal. He finally got to giving us the description of what we're doing, "You will be making a presentation on your favorite mythical being."

"Isn't this an English class?" A random boy asks.

"Yes, this is an intro project for our next unit," Mr. Brown replies, "We will be working on these for the next three days in class and you'll get the weekend to work on them as well. They'll be due next Monday and we will start presentations then, too. The rubric and instructions are on our class website, enjoy the rest of your night." The bell rings right and everyone leaves. I grab Mal's hand to stop her from leaving.

"What?" She asks quite harshly. I'm taken aback by her tone, but brush it off.

"Can I get your number? I have to take my sister home before we can work on this, that is if we were going to work on this tonight," I reply.

"Yeah, sure," she says. She grabs a price of paperand scribbles her number on it before handing it to me. I thank her before letting her go. She's had a hard day, I don't want to make it worse.

~

I find Dizzy in the parking lot next to my car, I smile and walk up to her. She smiles when she sees me. I give her a hug and she squeezes me. I giggle and let go, "How was your first day?"

"It was good!" Dizzy exclaims happily.

"Make any new friends?" I ask, getting into the car.

"Yeah, her name is Celia Fisher!"

"Wait, does Celia have a sister?"

"Yeah, why?"

"What's her name?"

"Uma, I think."

"Don't tell mom about her."

"Why not? Celia is my friend, Evie-"

"No, don't tell mom about Uma."

"Oh, why?"

"She'll never let Celia come over, some stuff happened. I'm surprised you didn't hear about it."

"What happened?"

"Promise me you won't tell mom."

"I promise."

"Okay, well, Celia's sister, Uma, punched girl named Mal Moors."

"Oh my, do you think Celia is like that?"

"We'll have to find out," I say, turning a corner.

~

The rest of the drive was pretty quiet other than small talk about how we moved at the right time. No tests, no finals, nothing to worry about right now. We arrive to an empty house, good. I run up to my room and pull the piece of paper Mal gave me out of my pocket. I made a new contact putting the name as Mal. I'll put an emoji next to it once I get to know her better. Well, if she lets me get to know her better. I start a conversation with her.

Hey, this is Evie from school :) | Sent

Read 3:53

Huh, she read it and didn't start typing, maybe she doesn't have an iPhone.

Ten minutes pass, no response. I decide to make a bold move and text again.

Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to work on our project tonight, or at least come up with an idea for it | Sent

Read 4:04

...

She's typing!

Sure, text me your address | Received

I didn't think she'd want to meet here. I text her my address, hesitantly. I wasn't sure if I should ask her if we could meet somewhere else. I guess it's okay, as long as mom doesn't find out. I walk down the hall to knock on Dizzy's door. "Come in!" She yells. I open the door and she smiles at me.

"Hey, I'm having a friend over for a project, I haven't asked mom, but I'm in too deep. Please don't tell her," I beg. She thinks for a minute.

"Okay, but we get to have a sisters day sometime soon," Dizzy agrees. I squeal and hug her before leaving, closing the door on my way out.

~

I'm sitting on my bed, waiting for Mal. Not much time has passed, but I want to see her for some reason. I hear a knock on the front door and yell at Dizzy telling her I got the door. I speed down the stairs and open the door. I see Mal with her backpack sling over her shoulder in the same outfit from school. I smile, "Come in." She does as I instruct. She takes off her boots and I ask, "We have a couple of options on where to work. We can settle in the living room, dining room, or my room. What would you prefer?"

"Whatever is fine with me," she says with a shrug. I nod and lead her to the living room. She plops down on the couch, making sure there's room for the both of us.

"Can I get you anything?" I ask.

"Um, a glass of water would be nice," she replies, hesitantly. I can tell she's trying not to be rude and it's pretty cute. But puppy cute! Not like boy cute or attractive, she's like a dog. I sigh at my thoughts before grabbing a glass and filling it with water. I walk back into the living room to see Mal with a raised eyebrow. I hand her the water and she takes a sip. I sit down next to her once she's situated.

"Sorry if you didn't want to get me water, I could've done it," she apologizes.

"No, it's okay, why would you think that?" I reassure.

"You sighed and it sounded like one of those annoyed sighs," she says, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I wasn't singing about getting water, it was unrelated. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she starts. She continues to stare at me as she says, "You're cute when you're flustered." I blush as she moves a piece of hair behind my ear. I blush harder.

"Th-thanks," I stutter. I'm not sure what to feel, girls like boys, right? She smiles and shakes her head.

"So, what do you want this project to be on? What is your favorite mythical creature?" She questions, still smiling. I notice how her bottom teeth are a bit crooked and it's one of the most adorable things I've seen. "Earth to Evie," she says, waving her hand in my face. I realize I'm staring and shake my head. She chuckles.

"Sorry," I apologize.

"It's cool. Now, what's your favorite mythical creature?" She questions.

"Um, I'm not sure," I state. She moves to take her jacket off. She reveals a Panic! At The Disco band tee. I've seen some of their songs on the radio, but my volume is always off. I look at her arms and notice a dragon tattoo on her left arm. "I like dragons," I blurt out. She quirks an eyebrow at me. She follows my eyes to reach her arm.

"A little biased, don't you think?" She asks jokingly. I giggle and she smiles again. I love her smile, seeing her happy makes me happy.

"No, I wouldn't say bias, I'd say I was inspired."

"Whatever you say, E," she replies with a smile. I blush at the nickname and her face falls. "Sorry, I didn't mean to- I should've made sure it was okay to call you that."

"Mal, relax, it's no big deal," I start. She looks at me, "Besides, friends do that all the time."

"Friends? Uma and her posse didn't scare you off?" She questions.

"Nope, I've met you and I like you, just try not to let people hurt your pretty face anymore," I reassure. My eyes widen at what I said. Mal smiles.

"Don't worry about it, I think you're petty, too. True friends build each other up, right? Compliments can do that," she says.

"Yeah, that's right," I smile, "Now, should we decide on dragons?"

"I'm down."

"Awesome," I say. We try to stay on task, well, I do. Mal keeps asking unrelated questions while I attempt to focus on the instructions.

I eventually give up and give in, "My turn for a question, you did cause us to fall off task."

"Ask away, E," Mal replies.

"What's the story behind your tattoo?" I ask. She looks down at her arm, then back to me.

"The spiritual meaning has to do with strength, courage, and fortitude. It reminds me to be courageous and strong even when life gets tough," she explains.

"That's... deeper than I thought."

"Rebellion doesn't equal stupidity and ignorance."

"Hey, I never said it did!"

"I'm just teasing. My turn for a question."

"Shoot."

"What is something you want to do, but are too scared to do?"

"To be honest, I don't know."

"That's okay, just think about it," she reassures. I sit and think for a few minutes as we sit in comfortable silence.

"I'd say, falling in love," I say after thinking, "There are probably way more, but that's the only I could come up with right now."

"Cliché, but that's okay. Let me guess, your scared of getting hurt," she says.

"No, at least it's not the main reason. I think it'd be more of living up to my mom's expectations."

"Hm, she's strict, I'm guessing."

"Very strict and very religious," I say, looking towards Mal. Her eyes scream that she's sad before she shakes her head.

"Interesting," Mal states, still not looking towards me.

"My turn for a question?" I ask, attempting to ignore her sudden sadness. She nods. "What is the best thing about me? This is an opinion based question, so there's not a right answer."

"That's easy, your personality. Cliché, I know, but true. You're so bubbly and supportive, even in bad situations," she says, smiling at me.

"That was one of the cheesiest things I've ever heard."

"Well, I hope your not lactose intolerant, then," she replies with a smile. I giggle. I hear footsteps running down the stairs. I see Dizzy run into the living room.

"Oh, sorry, I don't realize you guys were here, I'll just head back up," Dizzy says.

"No, it's okay, you can join us. That is, if it's okay with you, Mal," I reply.

"I don't mind," she says. Dizzy says her thanks and grabs the Nintendo Switch remotes and sitting down on the other couch. Mal look intrigued by the controllers.

"What, never played on a Switch before?" I ask.

"No, I have, just curious on what games you guys have and how many remotes," she says with a smirk. Dizzy looks towards us with a smile.

"I can totally beat you in Mario Kart!" Dizzy exclaims.

"You're on kid," Mal says with a chuckle.

~

"How are you so good at this?" Dizzy asks, clearly frustrated.

"Should've had your expectations higher, kid, maybe you would've be so upset," Mal replies with a laugh. I smile at the two. They're getting along so well and I like it. "You sure you don't want to play, E?" Mal asks.

"I'm good thanks," I reply with a smile.

"You're just scared I'd win," Mal challenges. It's clear she wants me to play and who am I to say no to my guest? I was about to grab another remote when I hear the garage door open.

"Crap," I mumble to myself. I knew my mom was going to be pissed about her not being uninformed about our guest. Surprisingly, I didn't mind much, Dizzy and Mal had fun, that's enough for me to be happy. Besides, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun, too.

"I can sneak out if you'd like. I parked my car on the street, so you don't have to worry about that," Mal says, pointing to the window right next to her.

"Please do," I reply. She nods and opens the patio door. She waves at Dizzy and I before walking out and closing it before she ran around the side of the house. Mal made perfect time. As soon as I saw Mal turn the corner, the door connecting to the garage clicked.


	5. 5

**Evie**

My mom walks into the house with groceries. I run up to help her by grabbing some of the bags out of her arms. She thanks me as I bring them to the counter. Dizzy comes running and gives mom a big hug. My mom laughs as she hugs back. I smile at the two before going to put the groceries away. I hear footsteps as I put the distilled water at the back of the fridge. I hear my mom scream as I'm taking my head out of the fridge, so I hit my head. "Ouch!" I exclaim.

"What is this garbage doing in my house?" My mother exclaims, walking into the kitchen. She's holding Mal's leather jacket and I immediately start to panic. I start thinking quickly.

"Oh, uh, I found it on the floor at school and I was going to bring it to the office tomorrow. I would've today if I didn't have to bring Dizzy home," I reply quickly. My mom nods while Dizzy looks nervous.

"Okay, just make sure you take it out of my house or I'll throw it," she says, setting the jacket on a chair. I nod and continue to put the rest of the groceries away. Dizzy walks in after I finish and mumbles, "I know mom wouldn't approve of her, but I like her." I smile and she walks away.

**Mal**

"Hey, I'm home!" I yell as I enter our house. It feels more like my mother's house, seeing that she paid for the thing. Besides, I'm not here as much as she is. I walk into the living room to see mother on the phone in the kitchen, making spaghetti, "Of course, I'm not an idiot... no, I'm not busy then... see you tomorrow." My mother hangs up and looks towards me.

"Another business trip?" I ask.

"I'm sorry, hun. I'm sure I can call-" I cut her off.

"No, I don't need a maid to take care of me or the house. I'm not a child and I'm used to you leaving."

"Honey, don't be like that. It's just me and we wouldn't have this house if it wasn't for my job. It's a very nice house, you have to admit," she says, trying to change the subject.

"Calling it a house is humble of you," I mumble. Yeah, my mother's pretty rich, that doesn't define me as a person, though. I appreciate her, I do, I truly do, but she's gone so often. I hardly see her anymore.

I feel my phone buzz from my jean pocket, so I pull it out. It's from Evie.

Hey, you left your jacket at my house. I'll bring it to you tomorrow, or we could meet somewhere tonight | Received

No, tomorrow's fine | Sent

Alright, talk to you tomorrow :) | Received

See you then | Sent

Read 6:26

I put my phone back in my pocket and look at my mother. She has a frown on her face, "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine, mother. I always am. Tell me when dinner's ready, I'll be in my room," I reply, walking downstairs to my room. I sit at my desk and open my sketch book. I start drawing whatever my mind comes up with.

~

I ended up drawing a dragon with its head lying on the ground and a girl with her hand on the dragon's head, smiling. I smile at the drawing, I like- no love the drawing. It's one of the special ones that I'll color. "Mal! Supper's ready!" My mother yells, interrupting my thoughts. I sigh before taking one last glance at the drawing. I walk out to the dining room to see my mom sitting at the table. The food is already on the plates and ready to eat, it's surprising because we hardly ever eat together anymore. I sit down with a skeptical look on my face.

"Am I in trouble?" I question.

"No, I just want to catch up a little," she replies. I nod. "Any new friends?"

"For once, yeah," I reply, taking a bit of garlic bread.

"Tell me about them."

"Her name is Evie and she's really pretty. She has long black hair and chocolate brown eyes. She's very creative and brave. Unlike others, she wasn't scared away."

"You seem to like this girl. How about, once I get back from my trip, she comes over for dinner. A formal introduction, if you will."

"Does it have to be formal?"

"That's not what I meant. I just want to meet her, she can wear whatever. It's casual."

"I'll think about it," I pause to take a bite of spaghetti, "Can I take her to the cabin this weekend? We have a project that's due on Monday and it could be quite relaxing."

"Of course, I mainly bought it for you."

"Thanks."

~

Supper was pretty awkward, but I'm used to it. I typically eat alone while watching Netflix or something. I'm currently coloring my drawing when my phone buzzes. I put the colored pencil down and check my phone. It's from Evie.

Hey, I'm bored :p | Received

What can I do? | Sent

Ask me stuff, I dunno | Received

What's your favorite color? | Sent

Blue | Received

Favorite person in the entire world? | Sent

Dizzy and my mom | Received

Play any sports? | Sent

I am an actual rock when it comes to physical activity | Received

I got to go, Dizzy wants to have "sister time" sorry | Received

Alright, have fun | Sent

Delivered 7:52

I sigh and plug my phone in next to my bed. I crawl into bed and turn on my TV. I go to Netflix and look at my recently watched. The Office, iZombie, Glee, One Day at a Time, and Wynonna Earp. I put on Wynonna Earp, even though I've watched the entire series a few times.

~

My phone buzzes after I finished the third episode. It's now 10:02, I see that as I check to see who texted me. It was Evie.

Hey, sorry to leave you like that, I'd love to talk more but I have to go to bed | Received

It's cool | Sent

Night | Sent

I shut my phone off and plug it in, not bothering to see if she replied or not. I watch one last episode before going to bed.


	6. 6

* * *

**Evie**

Mal and I are sitting on a dock with our feet dangling over the edge in comfortable silence. Mal chuckles, "You know, I didn't take you for the girl to get on board with this so quick, especially with how strict you characterize your mom as."

"I'm surprised, too," I giggle.

"You're so cute," she says, looking into my eyes. I blush and look away. She laughs softly and lifts my chin so I'm facing her. "You are, don't deny it" she states. Before leaving in and kissing me softly on the lips. I kiss back, just as soft before she pulls away. She smiles at me and I smile back. She opens her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

I groan as I roll over to hit my alarm. It was just a dream. Nothing but a dream. No need to worry about this. It's normal. I sigh and get out of bed. I grab a red Coca Cola tee and some skinny jeans. I get dressed and go downstairs. I see my mom sitting at the dining room table, reading the newspaper. She looks up when she notices my presence, "I left my car lights on and my car battery died, I'm going to have to take yours."

"What? How will I get Dizzy and I to school and back home?" I question.

"Ask a friend or something, you said you made a friend last night," mom suggests.

"I guess I can call her," I reply with a sigh. I walk back up the stairs and grab my phone. I open my contacts and tap Mal🐲. I tap on the call button and it starts ringing. Mal picks up after a few rings.

"Hello?" She asks, her voice raspy. She probably just woke up.

"Hey, sorry if I woke you up," I reply.

"It's cool. Do you need something or did you just want to talk?"

"If it's not too much trouble, do you think you could give Dizzy and I a ride to school and home?"

"Sure, yeah, I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Sweet! Thank you so much, I owe you. Bye," I reply before hanging up. I throw my phone onto my bed and rush downstairs to eat. I put some waffles in the toaster. I hear Dizzy run down the stairs after mom left.

"I'm behind, can you make me some waffles, too?" Dizzy asks. I nod.

"By the way, we're taking Mal's car to school, mom needed mine. She left her car light on and her battery died," I said, putting Dizzy's waffles in the toaster.

"Oh, okay," she says, slightly nervous.

"Hey, talk to me, why are you nervous?" I ask, walking over to Dizzy.

"Don't get me wrong, I like her, I do, but she doesn't seem like the most responsible person," Dizzy admits, looking away.

"I'll be right there with you, alright, I'll sit in the back with you if it makes you feel better," I reassure.

"No, no, I'll be fine."

~

I hear a honk outside and I get a text. It's from Mal.

I'm outside! | Received

Okay, on our way out | Sent

Read 7:42

I grab Mal's jacket and put it on, so I can lock the door with free hands. "Dizzy, let's go! Mal's outside!" I yell before walking out the front door. I hear Dizzy run to catch up with me. I close the door and lock it before heading out to the drive way.

"Whoa, this is so cool!" I hear Dizzy exclaim. I round the corner to see Mal chuckling at Dizzy's reaction to her car. It's a purple Jeep that happens to be a convertible as well. It's roof is retracted, so the sun is shining down on the seats. I walk up to the two. I start to take off Mal's jacket when she interrupts me.

"Can I get a picture of you in the jacket? You look really good in it," Mal compliments. I blush and nod. She takes out her phone and takes a few pictures.

"You like photography?" I ask, walking up to her.

"Yeah, for sure. I hope you didn't think it was creepy, the light was perfect and I though you looked beautiful," she says, rubbing the back of her neck. I giggle at how adorable she is when she does that.

"What's funny?" She asks, tasing an eyebrow.

"Nothing, it's just adorable when you do that," I reply.

"When I do what?"

"Rub the back of your neck, you do it when you're nervous and it's very cute," I state, swiping her nose with my finger. She scrunches her nose and I giggle. I realize that I'm still wearing her jacket and I attempt to take it off, but Mal sets her hand on my shoulder.

"Keep it," she states. I shake my head.

"No."

"Why?"

"One, you love this jacket, I could tell and two, my mom would never let me wear it."

"Fine," she groans. I roll my eyes and take off the jacket before handing it to her. I notice her outfit, she's wearing an AC/DC band tank top and black skinny jeans with the same worn boots as yesterday. I smile as she gets into the driver's seat. "What are you waiting for? Hop in!" She exclaims as she starts the car. I laugh when I Write Sins Not Tragedies starts blaring from her radio. It's not the song choice that I found funny, she was wearing on if their tees yesterday, it's the fact that it's blaring. She starts blushing, because of my laughter, as she sets her head of the steering wheel. I laugh harder when the horn honks. Dizzy starts laughing, too. "Just get in," Mal mumbles, still blushing. My laughing fades as I get in the car.

~

The drive to school was nice. I made small talk where I learned that her favorite color is purple, her favorite animal is a dragon, and her favorite fruit is a strawberry. It's the little things that count. I grab everything I need from my locker before shutting it and walking to History. Today is going to be a good day.

~

At least, that's what I thought. I walk into History and see Mal and Lonnie face to face. "Stay away from her, Mal," Audrey says sternly.

"Make me," Mal practically growls out.

"I'm doing this for her, she's going to get hurt with you."

"This isn't your decision, not is it mine. You're not Evie's mom, Audrey."

"I'm trying to protect her, Mal."

"That isn't your job, she's a big girl, she can choose her own friends."

"She knows nothing about you."

"Neither do you."

"I know enough."

"No you don't."

"Stop this, children, you should know better!" Mrs. White exclaims, interrupting the two. Audrey gasps and Mal rolls her eyes. I sigh at Mal's traction before taking my seat. I hear Mal walk behind me before sitting in her desk next to me.

"You shouldn't let them get to you, Mal," I say, looking at her.

"Maybe she has a point," she states, avoiding my stare.

"What? why would you say anything like that?" I ask.

"You're going to be the odd one out, you'll probably be bullied and what 'friend' would just let it happen?"

"Stop that, Mal," I pause, "Look at me." She does, so I continue, "I don't care, about them. We are friends and I want it to stay that way. They don't matter, okay?" She nods. "No, no, no, no. I want to hear your voice."

"Okay," she says with a smile.


	7. 7

**Evie**

Mal was quiet the rest of class, unsurprisingly. I want to get to know her more, but at the same time I don't. I'm scared of what I'm feeling, is it friendship or is it more? She flirts so often and I don't know if it's just a joke or not. I want to know, but would it ruin my views of her? Do I approve of genders liking their same gender? Mom always said it was a sin, or something like that. I glance at Mal and notice she's staring at me. She quickly looks away. I sigh and look back at Mrs. Brown.

~

Classes go by quickly and all of a sudden it's lunchtime. I grab a piece of pizza, an apple, and a box of orange juice before paying and going out to the tree Mal sat at yesterday. She's there with a salad and an apple with a bottle of water. I walk up to her and sit down next to her. She glances at me before staring at her salad. This isn't comfortable silence and I don't like it. She clears her throat before saying, "I'm sorry you had to witness that, I should've kept my cool."

"It's okay, just know I'll stick by your side, no matter what," I reassure. She smiles and looks at me.

"Thank you, that means a lot," she says. She smiles at me and I blush. She quirks an eyebrow before taking a bite of her salad.

After Mal and I finish our meals, I notice someone walking towards us. I sigh and she notices my mood change. She gives me a questioning look and I point to who I see walking up to us. "Audrey," Mal mumbles. I know she's upset about Audrey walking towards us.

"Still got a busted nose, Mal?" Audrey asks with a smirk once she reaches us.

"You'll have one too if you keep aggravating me," Mal replies, trying to get up. I push her shoulder so she stays sitting. She looks at me and I smile. She nods, slightly.

"What, don't want to get in trouble, again?" Audrey questions with a fake pout. Mal tenses and I give her a questioning look. "Oh, she didn't tell you? She's tried to start fights with people. She even succeeded once." Audrey laughs at my reaction, which was staring at Mal. Mal looks enraged, but tries and hides it. She takes a deep breathe before looking at Audrey.

"You're hypocritical, Audrey. You're friends with Uma, even though she punched me yesterday," she states, standing up. She starts circling her. "You have such a good life, why try and ruin mine? Insecurities? No..." she trails off before stopping right in front of her. "It's because Ben chose me," Mal states. Audrey's face falls as soon as the words stop. Mal continues, even though she knows she hit a nerve, "I don't like Ben anymore, he was nice at first, but people change. He became less interested, in fact, he became so uninterested, he cheated. He cheated on me with... guess who."

"Who?" Audrey asks.

"Uma."

"No... you're lying," Audrey's voice breaks as a single tear runs down her face.

"I'm not, though, ask Ben. He was nice about it and admitted to the act, but I ended things anyway. I guess you could thank me for saving you from the heartbreak."

"Stop it, stop lying to me!" Audrey yells, pushing Mal away. Mal stumbles back a little before regaining her balance. Mal rolls her eyes before starting to walk away. I run up to her and grab her hand. She shakes her head and pulls her hand away.

"Can we talk, Mal? I want to understand, please talk to me," I plead. She nods.

"Yeah, uh, let's go somewhere more private," she states. I nod and follow her.

She lead us to a bathroom in the band hall. I want to be the one to ask questions, so I do, "What did Audrey mean when she said you've started a fight?"

"I was in a tough place and I was angry that day. It was with Lonnie, she kept hitting nerves while she and Audrey were poking fun at me," Mal says with a sigh. "I know that it wasn't smart, but I can't do anything about it now."

"What did you mean when you said 'tough place'?" I ask.

"My mom is always on business trips, so I'm alone most of the time. I met you yesterday, so I didn't have anyone to hang out with. I guess I had Ben, but he didn't have much interest at that point, neither did I."

"Hey, the past is past, alright? I'm here for you, okay?"

"Thank you, E, that means a lot."

"No problem, M," I say before kissing her on the cheek. Her eyes widen before rushing out the bathroom. Crap.

~

I don't want to go to my last period, I'd have to face Mal and talk to her about our project. I guess I'd have to face her either way, she is my ride home after all.

I walk into the classroom to see Mal with a frown on her face, typically it's a blank expression. I walk towards my desk to see a note.

Sorry for earlier, I was just surprised. I know it was a friendly kiss, it just surprised me. I'm sorry if I hurt you.

-Mal

I smile at the note and look at Mal. She's looking at me. I smile to reassure her that it's okay and I understand. She smiles and looks towards the front when the bell rings.

~

The bell rings just as I finish my second slide for our PowerPoint. I put all my stuff away in my locker and the things I'm taking home in my backpack before heading out to the parking lot. I see Mal sitting in the driver's seat, adjusting the radio and Dizzy in the backseat, staring at Mal in curiosity. I smile and get in the passenger's seat. Mal smiles at me before putting on her seatbelt. I do the same and Mal takes Dizzy and I home.


	8. 8

**Evie**

When Mal pulls into my driveway I ask, "Do you want to come in and just hang out? We have all weekend to work on the project, plus the two class periods."

"Sure, I've got nothing better to do," Mal says, faking boredom.

"Let's go, meanie," I say, slapping her arm playfully. She laughs and gets out of the car. I walk up to the front door and unlock it. I open the door and hold it for Mal and Dizzy.

"Who are you?" I hear my mother ask. Crap. She never comes home early. I walk into the house to see my mom staring at Mal.

"This is my friend, Mal," I say, walking into the dining room.

"It's, uh, nice to meet you," Mal says, holding left hand out to shake my mom's hand. My mom eyes lock on Mal's tattoo.

"Dizzy, please take Ms. Mal to Evie's room. Evie and I need to talk," my mom states. Dizzy nods before taking Mal upstairs. I sigh, knowing I'm going to be lectured. "She has a tattoo, Evie, you should know better than to befriend people like her."

"Don't judge her based off of her looks, that's so mean. I'm turning seventeen tomorrow, I think I can decide who to befriend. We're friends and partners for an English project," I state.

"Invite her to stay for dinner, I'd like to ask her some questions."

"Mom-"

"End of discussion," she says before walking away. I sigh and run up to my room. I see Mal standing in the middle of my room, examining my decor. There isn't much to it, some T.V posters and pictures of models.

"Models, huh?" Mal teases. "I didn't think your mom would approve of you playing for that team."

"Yeah- wait! You've got it wrong, I like fashion, not women," I clarify.

"Keep telling yourself that," she mumbles.

"Shut up, Mal," I say, playfully pushing her and giggling. She laughs softly. "You know, you can sit down, right?"

"I wasn't sure, I didn't want to be rude," Mal says, rubbing the back of her neck. I giggle and she blushes. She sits on my bed and sit next to her.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" I ask.

"I don't know, what do you want to talk about?" She answers. I roll my eyes playfully.

"What do you enjoy doing?" I question.

"Drawing and photography, what about you?"

"Designing clothes and chemistry."

"Can I see some of your designs?"

"I don't know."

"Please?"

"Fine," I reply before grabbing my sketchbook full of designs. I hand it to Mal and she starts flipping through it. She makes different facial expressions throughout looking at different pages.

"Which one is your favorite?" Mal asks, looking at the last page.

"Uh, let me look through it," I reply, grabbing the book.

After a few minutes of looking through, I find the outfit I love. I show it to Mal and she smiles.

"I like that dress, it's very you," Mal compliments. I blush.

"Thank you," I say. She nods at me.

"Uh, can I take of picture of this?" She asks.

"Sure, I don't know why you want to, but I don't mind," I reply with a raised eyebrow. She takes out her phone and snaps a picture.

"I like the design," Mal states with a shrug.

"What ever you say," I say with a laugh. She raises an eyebrow at me. I give her a confused look.

"Are you not confident with your art?" Mal asks.

"Not really, no," I say, honestly.

"Every great artist has had pieces they didn't like. You can improve, everyone can improve when it comes to art," Mal states passionately. I smile at her.

"Could we go to your house this weekend? I don't want my mom judging you while we work on our project," I ask.

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd want to go to my lake cabin with me, it'd just be you and I."

"Lake cabin?" I blurt. I probably sounded super dumb, but can anyone blame me? What if that dream comes true? I don't think I want that.

"You know, the cabins by lakes?" She asks.

"Yeah, I know what they are, I'll have to ask my mom. Sorry about that, I sounded pretty stupid."

"It's fine, plus I thought it was pretty cute," she compliments. I blush and look down.

"Supper's ready!" My mom yells from the kitchen. Mal starts to walk out of my room and I follow. I smell my mom's homemade meatloaf when I enter the dining room. I'm not going to lie, my mom isn't a great cook, but it's better than starving. I take the seat next to Mal and across from Dizzy, which I kind of regret due to the fact my mom with be across from Mal. I didn't want to seem rude, so I kept my mouth shut.

"Hey, Mal," Dizzy greets once we settle in.

"Hey, Dizzy," Mal says. Dizzy smiled at Mal, but didn't say anything else. They get along great, but when it comes to conversations they're not so great. They're lucky they have me.

~

"So, Mal, how old are you?" My mom asks. I knew this was coming, I just didn't want it to.

"I'm seventeen," she states before taking a bite of meatloaf. I can tell she didn't like it by the face she made, but she didn't want to be rude and immediately hid her disgust. I have to hold back a laugh.

"What do your parents do?" My mom questions. Mal tenses at the question.

"Parent," Mal corrects. My urge to laugh immediately fades when she says that. I could tell my mom became uncomfortable. "And, to be honest, I'm not sure. I don't like when my mother talks about work," Mal continues as she becomes less tense.

"What happened to your dad?"

"You don't ask someone that! She's obviously uncomfortable, don't make her more uncomfortable!" Dizzy exclaims.

"Dizzy, it's okay," Mal tries to reassure. We could tell she was lying by the fact she was still tense and how strong her grip is on her fork. I grab her hand in an attempt to calm her down. It worked a little bit, she let go of her fork.

"Don't talk to me like that, young lady," my mother states firmly. It was directed at Dizzy, but I could tell Mal felt at fault for this.

"It's not your fault," I whisper loud enough for her to hear. She looks at me and nods as a thank you.

"I think I should go," Mal says before standing up.

"I'll walk you out," I state. She nods and walks towards the door. She opens it and walks out. I follow her out the door, so we don't have to worry about my mom listening to our conversation.

"Sorry, I just felt super uncomfortable," she apologizes once the door closed.

"Don't apologize, it's my mom's fault, not yours," I reassure.

"Yeah, I just feel bad for leaving so quick."

"It's fine, I understand. I should get back inside before Dizzy gets in trouble."

"All right, goodnight, then."

"Goodnight," I say. She quickly pecks me on the cheek before running to her car. I start to get a little nervous. _All friends do that, right?_


	9. 9

**Mal**

I walk into my empty home with a sigh. I knew she was going to be gone, but I had hoped she'd at least say goodbye. I know she's trying, but sometimes I wish she wasn't. She prioritizes her work and I don't want to just brush it off, her trying so hard makes that difficult. I kick of my shoes before heading to the kitchen, I didn't eat much. I grabbed some bread and put it in the toaster.

**Evie**

"Did you have to bombard her with personal questions? I like her, she's a great friend, mom!" I exclaim.

"Watch your tone, Evelyn," mom demands. I cringe at that name, my mom knows I hate being called that.

"Don't call me that, no matter what," I state firmly.

"Whatever, I'm done with this conversation. Get her to take you to school tomorrow," mom says.

**Mal**

I erase part of my drawing, specifically Evie's dress. I want to give the drawing to Evie for her birthday, and something else in case she doesn't like it.

~

I was about to color the picture when I start thinking about Evie. She has the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen, the cutest dimples ever, and she is the kindest person I think I've ever met. I sigh when I come to the realization that I'm crushing on her. I pull out my phone and open our text conversation.

Hey, want to go for ice cream sometime?

_Deleted_.

I think your cute, wanna go on a date?

_Deleted_.

I don't think you're straight, so wanna go out for dinner some time?

_Deleted_.

I laugh bitterly at my attempts to ask her out. I decide to type one more and regardless of what I put, I send it.

Wanna get ice cream tomorrow? | Sent

Why? | Received

Crap, what do I say, what do I say?

Like, a date? Unless you don't want it to be a date, that's fine, too! | Sent

I shouldn't have sent that. I set my phone on my desk and jump onto my bed. How can I be so awkward while texting someone? I lay there for a few seconds before I hear my phone buzz. I rush to grab it.

Yeah, sure, sounds fun :) | Received

"Yes!" I exclaim before texting back.

Awesome! How about after school tomorrow? | Sent

About that, can you take Diz and I to school tomorrow? | Received

Yeah, it's no problem! After school works? | Sent

One sec, let me ask my mom and Dizzy | Received

Okay | Sent

I'm going on a date with Evie freaking Grimhilde!

~

Time passes and I haven't heard back from Evie, I'm not worried about it, though. She said yes and I'm willing to wait, in the mean time I decided to color the drawing. I was about to color the dragon because I already colored Evie, when my phone buzzes.

It's a date （＾∇＾）| Received

Sick! | Sent

＼(^ω^)／ | Received

No emoji! | Sent

(￣^￣) | Received

You're such a dork | Sent

You know you love it :D | Received

"I really do."

~

I wake up the next morning at 4:30 a.m because of my alarm. I groan and shut it off. If someone find out about this they'd be really confused. I never wake up this early unless it's for something important, like getting Evie a birthday present. The jeweler opens at 6:45 a.m, so I'll be making good time. I get out of bed and enter the bathroom attached to my room and shower. I picked out a black tank top, a purple flannel, and skinny jeans. Nothing fancy, not that I wear fancy clothes often. I walk upstairs into the kitchen and plug in the waffle maker. I make the mix and pour it onto the machine before closing and flipping it. I grab and apple and eat it while my waffle cooks. I hear the beep and put the waffle onto a plate. I pour syrup on it and eat it. Once I finish it, I put the plate into the sink before putting on my boots and walking out to the garage. I get in my Jeep and back out.

~

"Is this something for you?" The jeweler asks.

"No, it's my friend's birthday and I want to get her something," I reply.

"Ah, I think I have the perfect thing," he states before walking away. He comes back with a necklace that has a heart made of rubies.

"That's perfect!" I exclaim. He chuckles.

~

I walk up towards the Grimhilde's door and ring the door bell. I made perfect time with the pit stop at Starbucks for Evie's birthday. Was it basic? Probably. Do I care? Nope.

"Coming!" I hear a muffled voice yell. The door opens and reveals Dizzy.

"Hey, Dee," I greet.

"Good morning, I'm ready and Evie is putting her shoes on," Dizzy says.

"You can head out to the car, same spot as last time," I tell her. She nods and skips to my car. I laugh softly at the little kid. I hear footsteps walking towards the door.

"Mal, hey, I didn't realize you were here," Evie greets.

"Yeah, I just got here, no worries. Dizzy's in the car, so we're all set," I brush off with a smile. She smiles and nods before getting into my car. I follow her to my car and get into the driver's seat.

"Thirsty?" She asks with a giggle. I look at her weirdly before remembering the drinks from Starbucks. I laugh softly.

"They're for all of us. I got Dizzy a French vanilla cappuccino, Evie a Carmel thing, I'm not even going to try and pronounce it, and myself a tie dye drink thing," I say, passing the drinks out.

"Aw, Mal, you didn't have to do that! Taking us to school and back was already enough," Evie says with big smile on her face.

"It's your birthday, Evie, it's the least I could do," I reply with a shrug.

"How did you know?" She asks.

"I may or may not have heard your argument with your mom. I'm sorry, I tried to focus on something else, but I couldn't," I apologize.

"It's fine, Mal, I appreciate this. Anymore surprises?" She asks.

"Maybe," I drag out.

"Mal," she complains. I laugh. Today will be a good day and I'll make sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you get the ‘no emoji’ reference, I’ll love you forever


	10. 10

**Evie**

The day went by quickly, it's already eighth period. It probably went by so fast because I was excited. Sure, like, two hours before I was asked on the date I didn't want to kiss her, but the excitement I felt when she asked was too much for me to say no. She's an absolute sweetheart and I think I'm crushing on her. I'm sure she can help me figure it out, if needed. She's working on the research for our project, while I'm working on making it look nice by putting transitions, color schemes, fonts, etc. We make a pretty good team. I keep stealing glances, she's so adorable when she's focused. Her nose scrunches up when she finds something useful and her tongue rests on her upper lip when she's really focused. Mal glances at me when I'm staring at her and I immediately look away, blushing. She raises an eyebrow before smiling. "Can I see what you've got done so far?" She whispers. I nod and move my computer, so she can see. She examines the PowerPoint before nodding, "It looks great, thanks E."

"Thank you," I whisper before continuing to make it look better.

~

Class went by slowly, but the bell finally rang and everyone got up. I walked to my locker and grabbed my backpack before walking out to the parking lot. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around. "Hey, I just wanted to check up on how your doing," Jay says.

"I'm fine," I reply.

"Listen, everyone over exaggerates the whole 'Mal is a bad person' situation. It's not her fault, I just value my friendship with Uma, but I'm tired of being quiet. I feel bad, Mal doesn't deserve this," Jay states.

"Can we talk later? I have to get my sister home and I have plans after, I'll give you my number," I tell Jay, holding my hand out for his phone. He smiles and gives me his phone. I type in my my number before giving him his phone back.

"Thank you for giving me another chance, it means a lot," Jay says.

"Of course, anything to help me understand the situation better," I reply before walking to Mal's car. She's sitting in the driver's seat, doing something on her phone. I get into the passenger's seat and notice Dizzy in the back, nodding her head to the music playing through her headphones.

"Ready?" Mal asks once I'm buckled.

"Yeah, let's go," I reply.

~

"Thanks for the ride, Mal," Dizzy says, getting out of the car.

"Anytime," Mal says with a smile. I giggle. "What's so funny Grimhilde?"

"You're just so cute," I compliment.

"Thank you, I prefer 'stunningly gorgeous,' but that'll do," she jokes.

"Shut up," I laugh, pushing her playfully.

~

Mal pulls into a parking spot at Cold Stone and turns the car off. I start to get nervous. I'm going on a date with a girl and I'm not even one hundred percent sure that this is a crush. Sure, I've never felt this way about anyone else, she makes me laugh, and she makes me happy, but is that a crush? I'm not sure, but I know Mal can help me figure it out. Mal must've noticed my change in mood, so she grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "Hey, no need to worry, I don't bite. If you ever want this to stop, tell me, I don't want to make you feel like we can't be just friends," she reassures. I smile.

"No, it's okay. I want to do this, I want to go on a date with you, Mal," I state. She smiles and nods before getting out of the car. She walks up to the door and opens it for me. I say thank you and walk into the ice cream shop. I view all of the flavors and toppings. Mal stands right next to me, viewing the flavors with me.

"I know what I'm getting, how about you?" Mal asks.

"Not yet, they have so many flavors," I reply. She chuckles softly.

"Get whatever you'd like, E, it's on me," Mal states.

"What, no, that's not apart of the deal," I say spinning around to face her.

"I asked you on the date, so I'll pay. Plus, it's your birthday," Mal says somewhat firmly. I let out a huff before agreeing. I walk up to the place where you order.

"I'll get a medium cookie dough ice cream bowl with marshmallows on top," I tell the cashier. He nods and puts in my order.

"I'll get a large Superman ice cream bowl," Mal says to the cashier. He nods and puts in her order.

"Eleven-sixty two," the cashier states. Mal hands him a ten dollar bill and a five. The cashiers puts the money in the cash register and hands Mal her change, which she puts in the tip jar.

"Go pick a seat, I'll bring our ice cream when it's ready," Mal instructs. I nod and pick a table designated for two people before sitting down in the chair facing away from the door.

After a couple minutes Mal walks to our table and hands me my ice cream before sitting across from me. "So, what exactly is Superman ice cream?" I ask.

"It's kinda like cotton candy ice cream, but red, blue, and yellow," Mal explains.

"Can I try it?" I question.

"Sure," Mal answers, pushing her bowl towards me. I put a little bit on my spoon and eat it. It's really good, surprisingly.

"It's really good," I say aloud.

"I completely agree," Mal says with a smile.

~

Mal was telling me a funny story when a woman in her forties walks up to our table and started complaining, "Can you take this date somewhere else? I'm here with my kids and I don't want them to be exposed to this lesbian activity."

"We're having a good time and we're not hurting anyone, so it shouldn't effect your kids" Mal explains.

"How am I supposed to explain that girls can date girls, huh?" The lady asks.

"Just day that humans can't help who they love and people dating their own gender is completely okay, it's not that hard to explain," Mal states.

"But it isn't okay," the lady complains.

"I'm sorry, Karen, I didn't realize we traveled back a few centuries," Mal spat sarcastically. I had to hold back a giggle when the lady's face shifted from disgust to shock. "We're having a good time here and we don't need a homophobe that's living in the 1800s ruining it," Mal continues. "We're just trying to enjoy our date like normal human beings and if it's bothering you, you can leave. We're not going to leave because you're complaining about absolutely nothing."

"You know you're going to hell for this, right?" The lady asks.

"It's funny how you think that'd be the reason," Mal says before taking a bite of her ice cream. I lost it when the lady's face flushed. I started laughing really hard and Mal looked extremely happy with my reaction. A man, who I assume is the manager of the ice cream shop, came out from the back to see what's going on.

"My date and I were just trying to enjoy our ice cream when this woman came up to us and started telling us extremely homophobic things," Mal explains when the manager reaches a table.

"It's against God, what am I supposed to do?" The woman says, trying to justify her actions.

"I think my husband, who is Christian, would disagree," the manager states. It was Mal's turn to burst out laughing. The lady's face goes white as she walks towards her table and tells her kids they have to leave. The kids follow her out the door and Mal is still laughing. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," the man apologizes.

"It's okay, thanks for checking in on us," Mal brushes off.

"Of course, enjoy your date," he replies before walking back to the kitchen.


	11. 11

**Mal**

The first part of the date went really well and I can tell Evie's not as nervous. I open the car door for her and she rolls her eyes playfully. "I don't need a man or a woman to open my door," she teases.

"Sorry for trying to be a good date," I joke. She giggles.

"You already have been," Evie compliments.

"Well, the date isn't over, yet," I say, starting the car.

"Where are we going?" Evie asks.

"The park, then a diner," I answer.

"A park?" She asks, skeptically. I laugh softly.

"Not a park with a playground, a nice park with flowers and places to talk outside," I clarify. "We could go to a playground if you'd like," I tease. She pushes my shoulder playfully and giggles.

"No thanks."

~

"So, what is your dream job?" Evie asks, taking a seat on a bench.

"Probably, animation. Getting paid for doing something you love would be a dream come true. What about you?" I ask. "Wait, let me guess, a fashion designer."

"Yep, you know me so well," Evie giggles.

"You have the creativity, all you need-"

"The talent," Evie sighs.

"No, no, no, no. Don't do that. I was going to say 'the materials,' you have the talent. Plus, everyone has a starting point to improve from," I state.

"Really? Do you have any proof or statistics? Any old art compared to new art?" She asks. I know she's using it as an excuse to see my art, but I don't mind. I pull out my phone and open my gallery. I tap on the folder titled 'Art' and slide up to the top. I tap the oldest picture and show it to her. It's not necessarily bad, but it's not the best. "And a new one?" She asks. I scroll through the folder until I find a more recent photo and show it to her. "That's really good, maybe you were right," she compliments.

"Maybe? You mean to tell me that my art didn't improve?" I joke.

"Are you being cocky, Miss Moors?" Evie teases.

"Never," I say dramatically. "Anyways, if you were to move anywhere in the United States, where?" I ask.

"Hawaii," Evie answers. "What about you?"

"Hm, Colorado," I state.

"Why Colorado?"

"The mountains, they're so pretty and the view would be amazing."

"Doesn't get really cold?"

"I don't mind, I can get thick blankets and a fireplace. It just means more hot chocolate for me."

"You can have as much hot chocolate in Hawaii as you'd like."

"But it's not at good due to the heat. Plus, volcanos scare me."

"My, my, my, is Mal, who loves dragons, scared of volcanos?"

"Dragons aren't real and volcanos are, don't judge me."

"I'm only teasing, M."

"I know, I know."

~

"So, what will you ladies have tonight?" The waitress asks.

"I'll have the strawberry cream crepes and an Oreo milkshake," I order.

"I'll have the banana chocolate pancakes," Evie says.

"It'll be out soon, ladies," the waitress states before walking into the kitchen.

"So, what is your favorite milkshake type?" Evie asks.

"Strawberry," I answer.

"What? You ordered an Oreo milkshake and they had strawberry," she explains. I chuckle softly.

"That's for you, you kept looking at it and you were practically drooling," I joke.

"You didn't have to-"

"I know, but I wanted to. I really don't mind, E," I brush off.

"I'm paying you back," she states.

"Nope, today is your birthday, so you'll be treated like a princess. You want a castle, I'll get you a castle, you want a crown, I'll get you a crown," I explain.

"I appreciate this," Evie says with a smile.

"I'm glad."

~

The food came and the waitress handed me Evie's milkshake. We thanked her and she went back to the kitchen. I slide the shake to Evie and she smiles. "You want any?"

"I guess I'll take a sip," I answer. I grab the cup and sip from the side, attempting to avoid the straw. I was unsuccessful and stabbed my eye with the straw, "Ow."

"Are you okay?" Evie asks, grabbing the cup. I smile and nod.

"Yeah, of course, I wouldn't let a little piece of plastic defeat me," I joke. She giggles before taking a bite of her pancakes. I was about to take a bite of my crepes when I remember the gifts I had for Evie. "I left something in the car, I'm going to go grab it," I say, excusing myself.

"Okay," I hear Evie say. I walk out to my car and grab the paper with the drawing and the box with the necklace. I walk back into the diner and sit across from Evie. I hand her the drawing first, I rolled it up with a rubber band around it to keep it in place.

"Happy birthday," I say. She opens the drawing and covers her mouth with her hand. She gasps and starts to tear up. Did I do something wrong?

"Mal," she trails off, "Thank you so much, I love it." She gets up and hugs me, not giving me a chance to stand up with her. I chuckle and attempt to hug back. It's a pretty awkward hug, but it's fine because I know she means well. She walks back to her seat and wipes her tears off.

"That's not all, princess," I say, handing her the jewelry. She grabs it and opens it. She stares at the necklace for, what seems like, minutes.

"Mal, this is too much. I can't take it," she states pushing the necklace back into my hand. I shake my head slightly and give it back.

"It's not my type of jewelry and I'm not returning it. It's for you, Evie. If I thought it was too much I wouldn't have gotten it," I explain. She grabs my hand and squeezes it.

"Thank you, Mal, I love it," she says, before putting it on. "How do I look?" She asks.

"Gorgeous as always," I compliment. She blushes and we continue to eat, making small talk here and there.


	12. 12

**Evie**

Mal and I were sitting in her car in front of my house. "Do I take you to the door or is your mom going to bombard me with more questions?" Mal jokes. I giggle softly.

"I think you've done enough tonight, M," I reassure.

"Can I," she clears her throat, "uh, kiss you? If not, that's completely-" I cut her off with a kiss. She kisses back before pulling back. I giggle and she looks at me confused.

"You are incredible, Mal Moors. So incredible," I compliment. She raises an eyebrow.

"Now, I'm not saying you're wrong, but why am I incredible?" She asks.

"There are so many reasons, M. You make me laugh, you make me smile, you keep me entertained, you took time out of your life to draw me that beautiful picture, and you just asked for permission to kiss me," I list off.

"Sounds like you, Ms. Grimhilde, have a crush on me," she jokes.

"I think I do, but I'm not sure," I state, honestly.

"I'll do everything I can to help you understand, even if it's not a crush. I'd be honored to be your friend," Mal reassures. I smile and blush.

"Thank you, for everything," I say.

"It was my pleasure, Evie. Can I, uh, take you on another date?" She asks.

"Yes, please do," I answer with a giggle.

"We can figure out the details later, go tell your sister I say hi," Mal says.

"Okay, bye, Mal, see you tomorrow," I say before getting out of her car. I walk up to the front door and unlock it before going inside.

"Hey, Evie!" Dizzy exclaims, running up to me to hug me.

"Hey, Dee," I greet.

"Where were you?" She asks.

"I was with Mal, she says 'hi,'" I answer.

"Wait, you said you went on a date," mom cuts in.

"I did, with her, mom," I clarify. She gives me a shocked look.

"She's a girl, Evie. Girls belongs with boys and boys belong with girls, we've been over this many times," she informs.

"Maybe you're wrong- no, you are wrong. Love is love, mother. I can date who I want," I state. Dizzy grabs my hand in support.

"No, I'm not wrong, Evelyn."

"Whatever you say."

"Don't do that, Evie! Don't let that girl corrupt you."

"I'm not letting her do anything! We like each other, I had a great time with her, in fact, we're going on another date and I couldn't be happier."

"You will cancel that date, Evelyn."

"No I won't, mother."

"Then you'll have to find another place to stay! Go pack your things and be out of the house in thirty minutes or less!" My mom yells. I start to tear up and run to my room, packing as many clothes as I can fit in my suitcase. I pack the basic necessities, like a phone charger, a toothbrush and toothpaste, my wallet, and my keys. I also pack some extra stuff, like earbuds, pencils, pens, my computer, and the charger for my computer. I put it at the bottom so it didn't take up much room. I hear my door creak open and I turn around to see a crying Dizzy.

"It's going to be okay, alright? I'll be fine, I'll text you and call you to let you know I'm say," I reassure.

"Stay strong for me, Evie," Dizzy cries.

"I will, I promise," I say before putting my backpack on and grabbing my suitcase. I walk down the stairs and out the door. I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Mal.

"Hello?" Mall asks through the phone.

"Hey, uh, can you come get me? I need a place to stay for a while and you're my only friend," I explain, still crying.

"Of course, where are you?" She questions.

"Um, about a block right from my house," I say.

"Right when you face the house or when you leave the house?"

"Face it."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

~

"Thank you so much, I appreciate this," I tell Mal, wiping my eyes with a tissue she gave me.

"Of course, Evie, anything. You can stay with me for as long as you need," Mal explains.

"What about your mom?" I ask.

"She's on a business trip right now, but I'm sure she'll be fine with it once I tell her the story," Mal reassures.

"Does she know?" I ask.

"About me liking girls?" She asks, glancing at me. I nod. "Yeah, I came out as bisexual when I was fifteen. She told me she'd always love me, no matter what."

"Does she know about me?"

"I think she has an idea, I told her about you and all I did was compliment you," she explains, blushing.

"I'm honored," I say with a giggle.

~

"You're house is beautiful, Mal," I compliment, walking through the front door.

"Thank you? I don't know how to react to that, I've never had a friend over," she says with a nervous laugh.

"You being awkward is so adorable," I giggle.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty? Cole? Hot?" Mal questions.

"I'm fine, M, we just ate," I giggle.

"Right, sorry, I just feel so bad," she states.

"Why?" I question.

"I feel at fault for this, had I not asked you on the date, we wouldn't be in this situation. I should've guessed your mom was homophobic and stayed quiet," she explains. I frown and grab her hands.

"Hey, none of this is your fault. I am so happy I met you, Mal. You are one of the best things that has ever happened to me," I reassure. She smiles at me.

"Now that we have that out of the way, let's find a room for you to practically live in. Would you rather sleep upstairs, downstairs, or on this floor?" She asks.

"I'd prefer on the same floor," I state. "Wait, that's kind of creepy, let me explain-"

"I know what you mean, Evie, it's not creepy," she interrupts with a laugh. I blush and look down.

"Thank you, for everything," I say, starting to tear up.

"Anything for you, Evie. You're safe here, I'll do everything in my power to keep it that way. You don't deserve any of this, you are perfect," Mal explains, caressing my cheek. "Do you think Dizzy is okay?"

"Yeah, she's always been the favorite. Plus, she probably won't come out if she is apart of the LGBTQ+ community after all of this," I explain.

"Can I have her number? Just in case you don't have your phone or something like that," she asks. I nod and pull out my phone. I text her the number. "Thank you."

"As for rooms... what would you do if I chose yours?" I ask, jokingly.

"I didn't realize you were such a flirt," she teases.

"Wait! I didn't mean it like that," I clarify.

"I know, relax. You were acting like you were gonna take over the house," Mal says with a laugh. "You're very cute when you're nervous."

~

I ended up picking the guest room across the hall from Mal's room. She carried my suitcase to the room, like the true gentleman she is. I'm in bed, trying to go to sleep. I had a long day and I was tired, Mal understood and let me be. I started drifting to sleep, finally.

~

"Hey, Evie, wake up!" Mal exclaims, shaking my shoulders.

"Huh, what's going on?" I ask.

"I don't know, you were mumbling things, kicking, and panting, so I came to wake you up," Mal explains, shakily. I can tell I worried her, so I grab her hand and squeeze it.

"Hey, I'm okay now, thank you," I reassure.

"Can I do anything to help? Do you think you'll be able to fall back asleep?" She questions.

"Can you, uh, stay with me? At least until I fall asleep," I ask.

"Of course, move over," she instructs.

"I, uh, okay," I say, moving over. It was a queen bed, so we could both fit.

"Unless you don't want me to, that's fine, I can sit on the floor," she clarifies. I giggle.

"No, it's okay, I wasn't expecting it," I state, looking at her. She nods and gets into the bed and under the blanket. It was cold in the basement, but I don't have the heart to tell Mal. It didn't feel right to complain, so I stayed quiet. I pulled the blanket closer to me, but not too close. I didn't want to hog the blanket.

"Are you cold?" I hear Mal whisper. I jump slightly, thinking she was asleep. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"Yeah, it's okay though. I guess I'm a little cold," I apologize.

"I can go turn the heat up," she says, starting to get out of bed.

"No, don't. I don't want to be alone," I tell Mal.

"Okay, I won't," she says, scooting towards me. "Tell me if I'm going too far, but I don't want you to be cold," she states, wrapping her arms around me. She's really warm, so I'm not complaining. Plus, I feel safe.

"No, it's okay, thank you," I reassure. She nods and that's the last thing I remember before falling asleep for the rest of the night.

**————————————————————**

_**The serious/fluffy chapter no one asked for. Just a little note, if you want to come out, but it could effect your safety negatively (getting kicked out, abused, etc.), please don't. Always prioritize your safety.** _


	13. 13

* * *

**Evie**

I wake up alone in the guest room. I start freaking out a little bit, so I grab my phone to text Mal. I turn it on and it's 9:28 a.m, I'm late to school. I rush up the stairs to see Mal leaning against the kitchen counter by the toaster, doing something on her phone. "Why didn't you wake me up?" I exclaim. She jumps and drops her phone.

"Good lord, Evie, give me a warning next time," she says, picking up her phone. I was about to apologize, but I realized why I was upset.

"We should be at school, Mal," I state.

"We're 'skipping' the rest of the week. I had my mom tell the school I wasn't going to be there today and tomorrow. I told Dizzy to inform the school of your situation, so they let you stay home for the rest of the week," Mal explains.

"Why would you tell Dizzy to do that?" I ask.

"Because I care about you, Evie. You deserve a couple of days to let the situation cool down. Dizzy said she'd get our homework, I have this under control," Mal reassures. I huff.

"You could've woken me up, still," I mumble.

"You looked so peaceful, I didn't want to disturb that. Plus, you're super cute when asleep," she compliments. I blush.

"Do I not look cute enough when I'm awake?" I tease.

"I didn't mean it like that! That was probably really creepy," she rambles while I walk up to her. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" she continues until I kiss her. She immediately stops talking. I pull away and she's blushing. I giggle.

"Nothing to be sorry about, M," I reassure with a giggle. "And here I thought you were hard and cruel."

"To the people I don't trust and I trust you," Mal says with a smile. Knowing the fact that Mal trusts me and not many other people makes me happy. Let's be real, she could say 'Hi' and I'd be happy. The toaster pops, so she pulls out the four pieces of toast she put in. "What would you like on your toast?" Mal asks.

"Jelly or jam and butter, please," I answer.

"What kind of jam?" She asks.

"Uh, strawberry?" I ask, not knowing if she has it or not. She nods.

~

"You, skipping? Never," Mal says before taking the last bite of her toast.

"I used to all the time a few years ago, that's part of the reason my mom decided to move. She thought there was a bad influence," I explain.

"What were all of the reasons?" Mal asks.

"To be honest, I don't know," I answer. "What about you, what is the worst thing you've ever done at school?"

"I've gotten in fights, you know about that," Mal states.

"Anything else?" I question.

"I've skipped I guess," Mal says with a shrug. "Anyways, what is the best thing you've ever done at school?"

"Passed all my classes, I guess," I reply, not knowing what she means. "You?"

"Well, I met this gorgeous woman named Evie Grimhilde and I even managed to go on a date with her," Mal says before taking her plate to the kitchen.

"My answer seems really lame, now," I state before following her to the kitchen.

"It's not a competition," Mal informs with a smile. "It's cool that you're proud of your schoolwork, rather than be upset about it. You pass and that's all that really matters. Sure, collages look at the letter, but the more you worry about it, the worse it'll get."

"I didn't realize you were the master of advice," I tease.

"I'm not, I suck at giving advice, not that I give it out that often. My 'advice' is just telling people my viewpoint," she explains.

"I disagree."

~

**Mal**

We're sitting on the couch in the living room downstairs, watching Riverdale, due to Evie's request. I don't like the show very much, season one was okay, but it got weird. I hear Evie sigh and look over to her. She can't see my questioning look because the lights are off. "What if I never talk to her ever again?" Evie asks out of nowhere. I realize that she's talking about her mom, so I pause the T.V.

"It takes time to process things like this, you've got to give her time. Is she really religious?" I question.

"Yes," she answers.

"She just needs time to think, you know? This isn't like finding out you got a C on a test," I explain.

"Getting a C isn't bad," Evie counters.

"Being apart of the LGBTQ+ community isn't bad, either. Don't let her get to you, E, I'll always be here," I reassure before scooting closer. I wrap my arm around her shoulder and she places her head on my chest before starting the show.

~

A few episodes in Evie fell asleep, so I paused the show. I didn't put anything on after, I didn't want to wake Evie up. I'm just sitting on the couch with Evie snuggled into my chest and I'm not complaining. She's snoring softly, so I know she's in deep sleep. I move my arm to grab my phone and Evie slowly starts to stir. I mentally curse myself for being stupid. She opens her eyes slowly before sitting up quickly, hitting our foreheads together in the process. "Ow," I yelp.

"Ouch," Evie mumbles, rubbing her forehead. "I'm so sorry, I forgot I was here and started to panic."

"It's fine, I'm fine," I brush off before pecking her on the lips. She blushes and looks away. I chuckle softly before resting my head on her shoulder. She lets out a sigh and I move my head to give her a questioning look.

"I'm fine, it was a sigh of relief. I'm happy that I have you here with me. You make me happy and I feel safe around you. You're so kind and nice and I don't deserve-" Evie starts before I cut her off with a kiss.

"You deserve me, Evie, don't talk like that. You have done nothing wrong, at least for the time I've known you," I reassure, teasing her with the last part. She giggles.

"Thank you, M, I appreciate this."


	14. 14

**Mal**

I wake up to the smell of eggs being cooked, so I swing my legs over the guest bed and get out before walking up the stairs to the kitchen. I see Evie making eggs and waffles, so I walk up to the island. "Good morning, Evie," I greet. She jumps and turns around. I laugh softly at her reaction.

"Morning. I hope you don't mind that I raided your kitchen. I didn't know what kind of eggs you like, so I made medium and scrambled," Evie says.

"Good guesses, but I don't like eggs," I say with a slight chuckle.

"Oh... I may or may not have wasted three eggs, then," Evie giggles.

"It's cool, I can get more later," I brush off. She gives me one of those 'are you sure' looks. I nod my head and walk to stand on the other side of the island with Evie. I plant a kiss on her cheek before walking back to my room to get changed. I grab a green and black blohsh hoodie, skinny jeans, and a black belt before changing into the clothes. I walk back up the stairs to see Evie setting the table. I sit down at in the seat I sat on yesterday.

~

"What is one thing you've wanted to do, but couldn't because of your mother?" I ask, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Uh, dyeing my hair, probably," Evie answers after thinking.

"Well, that's the plan today, then," I say with a smile before taking a sip of grape juice.

"What? Isn't it expensive?" Evie questions. I chuckle.

"It depends on whether you get it done professionally or at home and if it's permanent or not," I inform. "I'm thinking permanent, thoughts?"

"I don't know, M," Evie says, unsure.

"It's up to you, you don't have to decide right now, but you do want to dye your hair, right?" I ask.

"Yep," Evie confirms.

"What color, or colors, are you thinking?"

"Blue."

"Cool, you think about how long you'd like the hair dye, then we'll get it later. I'll be in my room."

~

"Can I come in?" Evie asks from the door frame. My door is open so she doesn't have to ask, but she did anyway. She's really sweet, so it's not surprising, but it wasn't expected. I laugh softly and nod, so she walks in. "I think I want permanent blue hair."

"Awesome! I'll go get hair dye, bleach, and groceries," I reply, stating to walk out the door. Evie grabs my wrist, pulling me back into my room.

"Bleach? Why do we need bleach?" Evidence questions.

"Your hair is too dark, so we have to bleach it to make the dye stay," I explain.

"Oh," Evie mumbles. I can tell that she's nervous about the experience.

"It's okay, Evie, I've done it before. I won't hurt you, alright? Tomorrow we can go shopping if it makes you feel better," I reassure.

"What about the project?" Evie asks, turning her head slightly. I smile at how cute she is.

"We can finish it tonight, it's almost done," I answer and Evie nods. "I'll be back in a little bit," I say before pecking Evie's cheek.

~

"It tingles," Evie says with a slight giggle.

"Yup, just make sure to keep it out of your eyes," I tell her, sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

"This is so going to ruin my clothes," Evie mumbles. I laugh slightly.

"That's why I told you to pick an old shirt or one for bed," I explain.

"And my shorts?" She counters.

"We won't get bleach on them, relax. Even if we do, I'll buy you new shorts, or whatever pants you want," I reassure. I don't know anything about fashion, so I don't know what she'd want or how much it'd be, but I just want to make sure she feels okay with this. I don't want to make her feel like I'm pressuring her to do this.

"Hey, are you alright?" Evie asks, noticing my mood change.

"I'm not making you feel pressured to do bad things, right? Like, I'm not a bad influence, right?" I question. She giggles.

"Not at all, M. You have made me feel so happy and I wouldn't let you pressure me or become a bad influence, nor would you. You care too much about me and you've made that clear," Evie reassures. I smile and nod.

"Welp, let's finish this."

~

"Stunning, Evie, you are absolutely stunning," I compliment as Evie walks into my room. I knew she was going to ask how she looks, so I already said my answer.

"You hardly looked at me," Evie says with a giggle.

"I didn't need to, E, I've already seen you," I state with a bit of a flirty tone. Evie blushes and looks away. "But, really, Evie, you look fantastic."

"Thank you, M, it means a lot," Evie says before pecking my lips. I smile and squeeze her hands.

"Can I take you on another date tomorrow?" I ask.

"Please do," Evie replies with a smile.

"It's a date."

~

"Finally, it's done," Evie says, finishing the last slide of the presentation. I laugh at her excitement. "Why are you laughing?"

"It's adorable that you got excited because you finished a project," I explain, laughing softly.

"Meanie," Evie whines, pouting. My laugh fades as I peck Evie's nose.

"We both know you're lying," I state with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm not that good at lying," Evie says with a sigh.

"You act like it's a bad thing, haven't you heard 'honesty is the best policy' before?" I say, half joking.

"You're right," Evie agrees.

"I'm always right," I joke.

"I bet your grades say otherwise," Evie teases. I choke on the water I was drinking, I wasn't expecting her to be so savage. This shy girl just roasted me and all I want to do is kiss her at how adorable I thought it was. She starts patting my back, trying to help me stop coughing. As soon I stopped causing, j started laughing at my stupidity. Why would I drink water at that exact time? It's because I'm not the brightest bulb in the box sometimes. "Why are you laughing?" Evie asks, starting to laugh, too.

"You're so adorable and I'm really dumb," I state, my laugh fading.

"You are not dumb, I was joking," Evie says, grabbing my hand.

"I was referring to choking, my grades are perfectly fine, thank you very much," I correct. Evie just shakes her head and giggles.


	15. 15

**Mal**

Evie insisted on watching more Riverdale, but unlike yesterday, we're cuddled up in my bed. I have my back to the wall and Evie is resting her head on my shoulder, focused on the T.V. Toni and Cheryl come on screen and I know there's going to be a 'Choni' scene. "I don't understand this show," I state. Evie moves her head to look at me.

"It can get a bit confusing, I suppose, but is there something specific I can clear up?" Evie asks. I sigh.

"Don't get me wrong, Choni is cute and all, but why aren't Betty and Veronica together? They kissed in the first episode, so why can't they just date?" I question.

"They don't share feelings, they wanted to get on the cheer squad. You'd know that if you were paying attention," she teases. I scrunch my nose and begin to think.

"But, they pretty much date in the comics, so why not in the show? They clearly have tons of sexual tension. Plus, 'Bughead' is overacted and 'Varchie' is based off of sexual attraction, rather than love," I explain. Evie begins to giggle, so I look at her with a questioning look.

"You've read the comics?" She asks, continuing the giggle.

"Yeah, I used to read them in the newspaper all the time as a kid and I buy the comic books every once in a while. They're pretty entertaining, especially when compared to the show," I answer.

"Don't be mean," she pouts.

"I'm not being mean, I'm being honest," I tease. She slaps my stomach playfully before turning her attention back to the T.V.

~

"Hey," I say, trying to get Evie's attention. I had moved to my desk to draw after watching a few episodes. She looks at me and nods, signaling she has my attention. "I have to go to the mall and get some stuff for the date tonight," I explain.

"What do yo need at the mall?" She asks.

"New dress shoes and some other small things," I answer.

"It's gonna be formal? I need new dress clothes, then. I left them at my mom's house," Evie sighs.

"No, it's okay, it wasn't going to be too formal, but we can go casual, too," I explain.

"Don't let me ruin the original plan, Mal, take me to the mall, it's okay," Evie states. I nod.

"We'll leave in forty five minutes, I have to shower," I explain before walking out of the room.

**Evie**

As Mal walks out of the room, I grab my phone and open my messages. I start a new conversation with Jay.

Hey, I was wondering if you wanna discuss Mal's feuds after school | Sent

Sure, when and where? | Received

Auradon Mall food court in an hour? | Sent

Sounds good, see you then :) | Received

I smile at my phone before plugging it in. I was excited, there was no denying it.

~

"You sure you have enough?" Mal asks.

"Yes, I've checked multiple times and it's not that expensive, Mal," I say, rolling my eyes. She noticed the act and sighed.

"Sorry if I'm being annoying, I don't know how to comfort you or help," she explains. I feel guilty, now. I forgot about how she's never had to help someone through a situation like mine.

"No, you're fine, I'm being rude and all you're doing is trying to help. I'll be okay, I promise. Now, I'm going to go shopping, I'll text you when I'm done," I reassure before walking towards the food court. I pull out my phone to text Jay.

You here? | Sent

Yup, I'm in the far right corner closest to the main entrance | Received

Almost there | Sent

I put my phone back into my pocket and start walking. It takes about thirty seconds to get to Jay, but once I do I sit across from him. He smiles at me. "You can get something to eat first," he states. I shake my head slowly.

"I'm not hungry," I say and he nods. "So, start whenever."

"Okay, do you want the long answer or the short answer?" Jay asks.

"Long," I answer. He nods before continuing.

"Mal's mom is a business woman, so she does what she can for business, keep that in mind," he starts. I nod for him to continue. "She's the CEO of a 'Moor Tech' and she has been for six years, so she's used to the dirty things she has to do for her job. She's on business trips quite a bit because the company is well known and quite popular. The first person 'Mal,'" Jay put Mal's name in air quotes, "screwed over was Audrey. Audrey's mom also works- well, used to work a well known company. I don't know which one, her and I don't talk much and there's too many to guess from," Jay explains. I tilt my head to side showing my confusion. "It'll make sense later in the story." I nod. "Anyways, 'Mal' ruined this business's rep by spreading secrets. I'm not sure how many were true, I prefer to stay out of drama that doesn't involve me. The company eventually collapsed and went out of business. Audrey was already angry, so what Mal did next only fed her rage." Jay didn't put Mal's name in air quotes this time. "Mal stole Audrey's, now ex, boyfriend, Ben. They dated for a while, then Mal got upset with him during class once and they broke up. At least, that's what I heard."

"Didn't Ben cheat?" I ask.

"I dunno, you can ask Mal, she seems to trust you," Jay answers. I smile slightly at his words. "She's a hard egg to crack, though. She might trust you with small things, but be patient and don't push. If you push her, she'll push you away." My smile fades as I make eye contact with Jay. He sighs before clarifying, "I know from personal experience." I give him a sympathetic look and he shakes his head. "It's my fault, I put my nose where it didn't belong and she pushed me away. She's been hurt before, I can tell. She's a loner, but you knew that. I'm sure she'll open up on her own if you continue," he pauses to think, "whatever you're doing."

"I'm just there for her when she needs me," I explain. Jay quirks an eyebrow with a slight smirk on his face.

"I think she likes you, she's typically cold to everyone for, at least, a week before being nice," he informs. The smile reappears on my face with his words. "Don't change what you're doing unless you know for a fact she's ready to open up."

"Will do," I confirm with a nod.

"Onto Uma- her mom owned a restaurant downtown. It was quite popular, I used to go there all the time. The food was great and it was pretty cheap. Mal's mom ate there once, I'm not sure how she felt about the food, but she liked the location. Mal's mom liked it so much, she offered the landlord person, I have no idea what it's called, to pay double what Uma's mom was paying. The landlord person took the offer and gave Uma's family a month to leave. Uma's mom was super pissed with Mal's mom, but she knew she couldn't do anything about it, she didn't have the kind of money to make a better offer. Hell, I doubt anyone could offer more money," Jay explains.

"What's there now?" I ask.

"Another 'Moor Tech' place," Jay sighs.

"What do you mean 'another?'" I question.

"It's not the first time Mal's mom did this," Jay starts. "Lonnie's family owned a dojo mid town and they had good business due to the location, so Mom's mom did the same with the dojo."

"What about Carlos?

"His mom worked as a hair dresser until Mal's mom got her fired."

"How did she get her fired?"

"She complained to the hair salon's manager about Carlos's mom's attitude, which had been complained about before, and it ended up being the last straw."

"That doesn't seem like much of a reason to be upset, especially because it's not the first time."

"Carlos's mom didn't tell Carlos about the other times."

"How do you know about them, then?"

"I complained, once and the manager told me that it had been a popular complaint."

"What about you, why don't you like her?"

"She used to pick on Carlos a lot, but it's decreased the last few months. I don't necessarily dislike her, she just gets on my nerves sometimes. Plus, I don't get the chance to work things out because my other friends don't like her, so we always, for the lack of a better word, avoid her in the halls and stuff," Jay finishes. I nod slowly, taking in the newfound information.

"So, it's not personal, except with Carlos?" I ask. Jay nods.

"Yeah, but if Mal was to apologize, Carlos would accept it right away," Jay explains.

"You and Carlos are a thing, right?" I question.

"Yeah, why?" Jay asks. "You're not homophobic, are you?" he jokes. I shake my head.

"Not at all! Carlos mentioned his boyfriend on the first day, so I just wanted to confirm that he was talking about you," I explain.

**Mal**

I enter the mall's food court with the intent to get a milkshake or something from 'Dairy Queen.' The 'Dairy Queen' is in the middle of the restaurants, so I begin to walk towards it, but I get distracted by a head of blue hair. I was about to go say hi and ask if she needed help finding stuff, she's new to the town, after all, but I stopped in my travels when I say 'Beanie Boy' talking to her. They were laughing and all I could feel was jealous. Why else would she hide it from me? I roll my eyes before walking away. I didn't know where I was going, but it wasn't gonna be here.


	16. 16

**Evie**

"Get everything you need?" I ask, getting into Mal's car.

"What were you doing with Jay?" Mal asks, turning her head to face me.

"How did-"

"You were in a public place, Evie, it's not that difficult to spot someone with blue hair," Mal explains, cutting me off in the process. I sigh.

"We were just talking, Mal, no need to get so worked up," I answer. She scoffs.

"Why didn't you tell me about this chat?" She questions. "I would've been fine with knowing, it's just suspicious when you do it behind my back."

"Mal, I wasn't sure if you'd be okay with it," I sigh.

"I'm not your mom, Evie, I can't tell you who you can and can't hang out with. It looks bad from my perspective seeing as he's friends with Uma and Audrey," she explains. I nod.

"I'm sorry, I really am," I apologize. Mal sighs and looks at me.

"What did you guys talk about?" Mal asks.

"You," I answer quietly. She looks at me and quirks an eyebrow, signaling for me to go on. "About why everyone hates you."

"Oh," she says, taking in this newfound information. She furrows her eyebrows. "It wasn't his place to share, but it was inevitable."

"So, we're good?" I ask. She sighs and nods.

"Yeah, but next time come to me if you want to know things about me," she says.

"Thanks for not hating me," I reply with a grin.

"I don't think I could hate you."

~

"So, where are we going tonight?" I ask Mal once we're at her house.

"I made reservations at this restaurant called Authentic Eats which isn't the most creative name, now that I think about it, but the food is great," Mal explains.

"Mal, you shouldn't spend this much money on me," I sigh.

"I'm not, I knew you'd say that, I picked a restaurant where the owner knows my mom and would get a discount or a free meal," Mal dates with a shrug.

"Why aren't you mad?" I blurt.

She looks at me with a quirked eyebrow.

"Do you want me to be mad?" she asks, clearly confused.

"No! I mean, no, I'm just curious," I state. She nods.

"I feel like me being mad is the last thing you need. We're obviously gonna fight from time to time from you living here for a while, so I have to learn to control my anger. I typically don't because I never cared, but now I do, so it's time to make some changes. Plus, I was wrong to assume the worst and to be mad on the first place," Mal explains, gesturing with her hands the whole time.

"You're cute," I giggle before pecking her cheek. Her cheeks turn pink as a smile forms on her face.

"Can we watch some T.V, or something?" I ask.

"Yeah, but no more Riverdale, I've seen enough for now," Mal jokes.

"What are we gonna watch, then?" I ask.

"Art," Mal says simply.

"Art? What movie is called "Art"?" I ask with a laugh.

"No," she pauses, "the movie is art."

"Oh, that makes more sense," I say shyly.

~

"Wait, wait, wait, so Crybaby isn't seeing Angelita's obvious feelings?" I ask once Nurse's Office finishes.

"Nope, but I ship them," she answers.

"Same," I sigh. I see Mal check her phone and she sighs.

"Damnit," she mumbles.

"Everything all right?" I ask, my voice laced in concern.

"It's my mom, she's coming home early, really early," she explains before getting out of her bed. "Like, tonight early."

"What's so bad about that?" I ask, standing up from the bean bag Mal gave me when I said I wanted to sit on the floor.

"She wants to have dinner with us," she sighs before walking out of her room. I get up and follow her to a big closet down the hall. She starts looking through clothes on hangers before pulling a black dress shirt on a hanger off the rack. She shakes her head and puts it back on the rack before grabbing a purple version of the shirt. She looks it up and down, then looks to face me, "This would look good with black pants, right?"

"Yeah, why did you ask me?" I reply.

"You're the fashionable one here," she says before walking towards a dresser that has small labels on it. I can't see the labels from where I am, but I assume they're to organize types of pants. She pulls out a pair of black skinny jeans with a few rips here and there. She makes her adorable thinking face that includes a scrunched nose and scrunched eyebrows. She shrugs before walking out the door and into her room. I hear the door close, so I don't follow her.

A few minutes pass and Mal comes out of her room in the clothes she had picked out. She looks stunning, to say the least.

"I look okay, yeah?" she asks. I nod and walk towards her. I grab her hands and pull them towards me.

"You seem stressed," I comment. She chuckles and smiles.

"Yeah, it's just-" she cuts herself off with a sigh. "I'm nervous."

"That's okay, Mal," I reply. "It's completely normal to be nervous, it's a human thing."

"But it's dumb," Mal replies.

"Mal, I'd be nervous, too," I laugh. "I've known you for like a week, but I can tell your mom is important to you." Mal sighs and nods her head slightly.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right," Mal mumbles. "You should probably get ready. Just some fancy clothes, nothing too bad.”

“Of course.”


	17. 17

**Chapter 17**

**Evie**

It’s been three months since I met Mal’s mom, Malory. She’s super sweet and accepting, but it’s not the same. She’s not  _ my  _ mom and it sucks. I miss her but at the same time, I don’t. I can be me, now, it doesn’t matter anymore, but I feel… empty. 

“Grimhilde,” Mal whisper shouts. “I need advice here.” 

“W-What?” I reply. 

“Seriously?” Mal asks. 

“Sorry, I was caught up in my thoughts,” I clarify. She sighs and shakes her head. 

“Uma said she wants to talk things through, but I don’t know if I should trust her,” Mal explaians. I nod slowly.

“Hear her out, don’t let her get to your head, though,” I answer. 

“Good plan,” Mal replies. “I’ll pick you up after art club, that’s when we’re gonna talk. Sounds good?”

“Yeah,” I say before pecking her on the lips. She smiles before standing up and walking to the student parking lot. I sigh and stand up, but I walk the other direction to get back inside the school and to the art room. 

After a solid four minute walk, I make it to the art room. I open the door to be greeted by the homey smell of paints and other supplies. I swiftly make my way to the table Dizzy is sat at and take my seat across from her. She smiles and looks up from her project upon my arrival. It makes me return the small, yet meaningful, gesture. The art teacher then walks in and gets the club started. 

~

**Mal**

I slam my palms onto the steering wheel of my car and let my head fall back. Why did I take Evie’s advice again? It’s not that it wasn’t good advice, it’s just that I don’t want to talk with Uma. It’s inevitable, I guess. 

I sigh as I exit my vehicle and walk into the small coffee shop. The smell of fresh espresso hits my nose like a punch in the face, but it’s nice. My eyes dart around the small shop before eventually landing in the teal haired girl in the corner. I slowly walk towards her before sitting in a chair across from her. She seems… nervous.

“Hey,” she greets. 

“Hi,” I reply. Definitely not the most awkward situation I’ve been in… 

“I’m sorry,” Uma mumbles. 

“For?” I ask, urging an explanation. 

“Everything,” Uma pauses to sigh. “For punching you, bullying you, falling for your man-”

“Okay, I get it,” I laugh. “You’ve done some stupid stuff, but so have I. It’d be blatantly hypocritical of me to be pissed forever.”

“Well… this went better than I expected,” Uma replied with a hard laugh. “Not that it’s a bad thing, I had a whole speech planned and a list of reasons on why you should forgive me.”

“Save it for another day, it’ll come in handy someday,” I smile. 

“Listen, I’m just gonna say it,” Uma pauses to scan my face. She can only see my confusion and interest, which is all I’m feeling. “I’m not feeling too good about this Evie girl.”

“What?” I scoff. 

“It’s just a gut feeling mixed with a little over analyzing,” Uma starts. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you, the way she interacts with you, it’s all hesitated.”

“Get to the point, Uma,” I demand. 

“She’s having an interna-”

“Just spit it out,” I interrupt through gritted teeth. 

“She’s second guessing herself,” Uma blurts. My eyebrows raise as I fall back in my chair. 

“What do you-how can you tell?” I ask. 

“It’s what I was doing this entire time, Mal. I’ve been deciding on whether to tell you or bring it up in general,” Uma explains. I can tell she’s being genuine by the tone in her voice, so I swallow. “You’re already broken, she’s just going to break you more.”

“No, she wouldn’t do that,” I shook my head and avoided Uma’s gaze with my entire life. 

“Mal, she’s going to hurt you, it’s inevitable. A mother’s love is something a child desires more than air itself,” Uma continues. “She can’t help it.”

“No...”

“Mal, listen to me,” Uma orders. I look into her eyes as she speaks. “Just think it through. I’ll be here and this time I won’t leave. I promise.”

“You don’t know her like I do, Uma,” I spit, my anger rising. 

“You don’t have to listen to me,” she states. “Please, just be careful,  _ please. _ ”

~

**Evie**

“Can we talk?” Dizzy whispers. “Alone.”

“Sure,” I reply, quietly getting up from my chair and walking out of the art room. 

“It’s about Mom,” Dizzy says as soon as the art room’s door is closed. 

“What about her?” I ask. 

“She wants to talk to you,” Dizzy answers. 

“What? Why?” 

“I don’t know, Evie, but I think you should give her a chance,” Dizzy sighs. “I know it’s hard, but if this could mean another shot at us having a normal, happier family, then I want to try it.” I had to think, this would make Dizzy happier and seeing her happy makes me happy, but what about Mal? Would Mom accept her? Me?

“Okay, I’ll give it a shot,” I reply, not giving it another thought. 

“Awesome!” Dizzy squeals. “I’ll text her and let her know, she’ll pick us up and we can get the family back together again!”

_ If only it was that easy _ . 

~

“It’s so great to see you Evie,” Mom sighs, walking into our house. She quickly hugs me and smiles before taking her shoes off. She then leads me to the living room and has me sit on the couch. She then sits down on the ottoman in front of me. “I’ve missed you.”

“Then why did it take so long to do this?” I squeak, sudden anxiety taking over. 

“It was hard, Evie. I had to muster up the courage and tell Dizzy I wanted to see you,” Mom explains. “I just want another chance.”

“You kicked me out, Mom. Why should I give you a second chance?” I ask, my masked frustration coming out. 

“Because, I know you’re just confused,” she states. “Everyone has this kind of thing, Evie, trust me.” I take a couple seconds to ponder the idea, it has been weird recently. It was fun for a while, but now? 

“I-I’ll think about it,” I reply. 

“Thank you.”

~

**Mal**

_I’ve been sitting_ _in this chair for the past two minutes, just say something, damnit_. Uma and I have been painfully silent since she dropped a bomb of life questioning on me. I sigh and pull out my phone before texting Evie and informing her that I’m unable to pick her up (not talking about Uma and I) and I’ll send my mom to get her with my mom’s phone number attached. It takes her less than ten seconds to hit me with a ‘k’. I put my head in my hands and Uma sighs. 

“Mal, it’s not easy, but you’ve got to look into it,” she starts. “It’ll be less painful if you find out now rather than when you’ve been married for eight years.”

“We’re seventeen, Uma,” I sigh. 

“I know, I’m just trying to make a point. Talk to her, alright?” Uma asks. 

“Fine, fine, I will later,” I reply. 

“I’m just looking out for you,” Uma explains. 

“I know, Uma, I know.”

~

I wipe my face with my free hand and sigh, for the tenth time in the last three minutes.  _ Why is love so hard? I’ve been driving around in the middle of town for fifteen minutes. What is this for?  _ I know what it’s for- a quiet place to think. I still can’t think and it’s awful, I’ve been told by many people I’m smart, but I can’t even come up with a plan to  _ talk  _ to someone. 

I pull up to a red light and check my phone for notifications. A message from Mom, so I double check to make sure the light is still red before opening it. 

“Evie was at a friend’s house when I got her and she forgot something, so she took an Uber there,” I read aloud. “She gave me the address just in ca-” A car’s honk from behind me interrupts my reading because of the freshly turned green light. I quickly step on the gas and make my way home. 

~

“Mom, still home?” I ask loudly, as I enter the house. 

“Yep! I’m in the living room!” she yells. I nod and kick off my shoes before walking to the living room. I wave to my mom, who’s visibly working, so I silently walk into the kitchen to grab and apple. I then make my way downstairs and into my room. 

I throw my backpack onto my bed and look around my room.  _ It’s good to be home.  _ My eyes stop on a mysterious piece of paper on my desk. I know it’s not mine because it’s ripped line paper, I use sketchbooks. I walk over to the desk and grab the paper. It’s obviously a note, so I read it.

_ Mal, I’ve decided to go back to my mother. I’ve missed her and it isn’t the same without her. I’m not doing this just for me, but for Dizzy, too. We need to be a family again, I hope you can understand -Evie.  _

No… this isn’t real. This has to be a cruel joke, right?  _ Right?  _ I frantically make my way to the living room to see my mom with a worried expression.

“Are you alright, dear?” Mom asks. 

“No, I’m-I’m not,” I pant. I’m not out of breath or tired, just nervous. My mom stands up and walks towards me before engulfing me into a hug. 

“It’s okay, take a few deep breaths, dear,” Mom coos. “It’s okay.” I follow her instructions and take multiple deep breaths. It just clicked that I was having a panic attack, I haven’t had one of those in years. I didn’t miss them. “Now, tell me what’s wrong.”

“Evie, she-uh-went back to her mom,” I whisper, feeling my breath get caught in my throat again. 

“Are you sure?” she questions. 

“She said so in this note,” I reply, handing her the note. Mom takes it and releases me from her comforting grip in the process. I start to pace and run my hand through my hair as she reads the note quietly. 

“This isn’t good,” Mom mutters. “You should-um...” All her motherly advice vanished in this moment and it scares me. 

“Spit it out!” I shout, my voice breaking in the process. “God, just spit it out…”

“Go talk to her, make sure this is what’s happening. Make sure we’re not interpreting it wrong,” she instructs, nodding her head as if she’s trying to convince herself that this is what needs to happen. 

“Yeah, yeah,” I breath. “I’ll do that.” With that, I sped out the door and into the fresh rain, ready to ‘confront’ Evie. 

~

It’s pouring by the time Mal pulled into the Grimhilde’s driveway. She really thinks the world is out to get her at this point. She jogs to the front door and practically pounds on it, now soaked because of the rain. She focuses her attention on the noise inside the house, pinpointing the footsteps. 

“Mal?” Evie asks as she opens the door. 

“Please tell me this is a joke, a cruel, cruel joke,” Mal pleads, ignoring Evie’s questioning tone. “It  _ has  _ to be a joke, right?”

“Mal…”

“Answer the question before I lose my mind!  _ Please _ ,” Mal’s voice breaks, along with her hope. 

“It’s not a joke, Mal,” Evie answers. Mal’s eyes widen slightly. 

“I’ve got to be misinterpreting it, then,” Mal mumbles, “you wouldn’t do this.”

“I did, though, Mal,” Evie replies. “I was just confused.”

“No, you weren’t, don’t lie to me,” Mal orders. 

“This isn’t your choice, Mal. In fact, it’s not a choice at all. I was confused, I am no longer confused. I’m happy with my family, whether you like it or not,” Evie continues. 

“But I love you,” Mal croaks. 

“I can’t do anything about that, Mal,” Evie says. “You should probably go, it’s getting pretty gross out.” 

With that, Evie closes the door, leavening Mal cold and broken. 

_ The End _


	18. A/N

**_Ya'll really thought, huh? I'm just messing around, it is the end of Strictly Forbidden, buuuUuuuUuUUut, I'm going to make a sequel sometime (I'm coming up with details), so look out for that. Anyways, thanks for the never ending support, I really do appreciate it._ **

**_Ps- I’m not working on the sequel because I’m going to focus on one story, which is ‘Fallen Kingdom’. Check that out, if you want, details are in the description of said story :)_ **


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